“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.” -Luke 10:33-34

One time a Pharisee asked Jesus how can he could inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he needed to love his neighbor as himself. He said, do this and you will inherit eternal life, right? Simple enough. But the Pharisee won’t let it sit, he says well who’s my neighbor? In response, Jesus tells the famous story of the Good Samaritan. So there’s a man dying in the road, and instead of helping, a bunch of religious people just walk around him. However, the Samaritan, one of the most unreligious and rejected people, stops to help the man. In other words, it’s the Samaritan who inherits eternal life. The Samaritan is your neighbor, near dweller, or anyone in the 15 feet of space around you.

PRAYER: Thank you, God, for the example of how to be like you. Help us to be selfless and to reach out and love our neighbors.

REFLECTION: How could you help your neighbor this week?