I John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
A lawyer wanting to test Jesus asked him this question.Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him: What is written in the law? The doctor replied to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. "You have answered well," Jesus said to him. Wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus: And who is my neighbor? ( Luke10:25,37) This question is also asked of us: Who is our neighbor?
Jesus replied to him with a parable, explaining: A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. This man fell among bandits who stripped him of his belongings and beat him, leaving him half dead. Jesus continued the parable by saying: a priest and a Levite passed by without caring for that man. But it was a Samaritan who had compassion for him and took care of him. At the end, Jesus asked the lawyer. Which of these three seems to you to have been the next one after the one who fell among the brigands? The lawyer replied to him: "The one who showed mercy to him." Jesus said: go and do likewise.
A Doctor of the Law is someone who was responsible for teaching and explaining the law of Moses.
A Sacrificer was a Servant of God acting on behalf of the assembly, as an intermediary between God and men.
A Levite was a member of the tribe of Levi, dedicated to the service of the temple.
These individuals were people of great importance in the religious society of the time they lived in. We can talk about society in general.
A Samaritan was someone from the region of Samaria. It's a mix of Israelites and various peoples who came to Israel. This people was part of a sect practicing a distorted form of Judaism and was despised for it.
These religious figures saw themselves as people who loved God and played a significant role in religious society, but they did nothing for the man who was a victim of the bandits. It was the Samaritan who had mercy for the man. It was the Samaritan who had love for this man. It was the Samaritan who had applied the word of God. Jesus gives us a new commandment: Love one another; as I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34. Our religious titles do not make us men or women who love God. Our way of life must reflect the word of God, and this behavior must come from the heart. We who serve God, we are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Live in a way that shows our love for God by loving one another.
Matthew 25:34, 45
Then the king will say to those on his right: 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take possession of the kingdom that has been prepared for you since the creation of the world!'
Indeed, I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me."I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. The righteous will answer Him: 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?'When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?"When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you?"And the king will answer them: 'Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!'"Indeed, I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink;"I was a stranger and you did not welcome me;" "I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me."They will also answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not serve you?' And he will answer them: 'Truly, I tell you, whenever you did not do this for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.'
Amen.
Source Divine Ministries.
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