Marmanold.com

Neighbor. In almost every context except for Church, this is a word none of us have trouble defining. Invariably, if you ask a child or any person on the street, they’ll define it as the people who live next door, or maybe the people on their street, in their neighborhood, or even their city or town. When we here of a “neighborhood” shop or bar or park we immediately know what it is and who we’ll find there.

But, when we walk into the Church, when we stand in the presence of Jesus, suddenly, we’re not happy with a loose and simple definition of “neighbor.” No, we need specifics. I mean, if He says we have to love them as ourselves, He can’t just mean anyone, right? That would be ridiculous!

St. Luke tells us in the today’s gospel reading that the lawyer wanted a specific definition of “neighbor” from Jesus. He wanted to know exactly who it was he had to love as much as he loved himself.

Centuries later, despite, I think, having a pretty good idea of what a neighbor is, we continue to argue and define this very concept. “Neighbor” just can’t mean what we all know it means.

Some will take this passage and not be satisfied with a broad definition. They want to make it specific. We’ve got to find the modern Samaritans. Maybe it’s immigrants. Maybe is a particular race. Whatever it is, it’ll be super specific and all Jesus is trying to say is that you should support their preferred political or social cause. And, of course, if you don’t, then you must not really believe in what Jesus taught.

Others still, will take this parable and use historical critical methods and other academic arts to find all the details of a Samaritan. You see, what Jesus is really teaching is that if someone meets this full list of 142 characteristics and the situation matches these exact 23 markers, only then do we need to help them. Otherwise, it’s God’s will, they deserve it, and we should not feel bad walking past. Toxic empathy is a sin, you know?

Now of course, that was all a bit of a caricature. People are usually a bit more nuanced than all that. But, still, today’s gospel reading can get political quickly. Talk of neighbors and love and the poor and powerless can quickly turn into a moralistic, political message. A message that’s a lot about what you should and should not be doing and very little about what Jesus has already done.

I’ve no doubt there are a number of you here that between your pious reflections on today’s readings grew anxious at the political sermon that was about to come. Today, you might have thought, we’ll figure out if Fr. Michael is a political conservative or progressive.

I’ll have to go ahead and apologize to those who want politics and hopefully relieve some anxiety for those who do not. The only political message you’ll ever hear from me in the pulpit is that Jesus is King. If you want to know my thoughts on boarder control, immigration, or the minimum wage you’ll just have to join me for a coffee.

Now that I’ve cleared the air of politics and all the ways we want to get “neighbor” wrong, I want to set “neighbor” aside for just a bit. We’ll get back to the question of “who is my neighbor”, but first I wanted to call out something that stood out to me as I read this passage in preparation the other day.

Right before St. Luke gives us the lawyer’s famous quote, “And who is my neighbor?” he gives us a little further information about our lawyer friend. St. Luke tells us that the lawyers asked the question, “desiring to justify himself.”

How many times have we asked questions in the Church not because we sought to know God more or serve Him better, but because we were looking to earn His favor or to cover past shortcomings.

This man is doing that same. He wants to know the specific who (and he’s really hoping it’s just his fellow conservative Jews) so that he can earn Heaven credits by serving folk that are already easy to love and help. The man isn’t trying to find out who needs his help and love the most, he’s trying to find out who he gets to ignore and who will get him the most credit with God.

I think within the Church is it so easy for us to fall into this pattern. We can stop seeing the sacraments, feast days, fasts, liturgies, and the other movements of the Church as ways of worshiping God, growing closer to Him, and being sanctified and molded by the Spirit. Instead, we can begin to see participation in the Great Tradition as a way of earning God points, a way of gaining God’s favor, a way of being better or more holy than others who aren’t doing as much or maybe even doing it right.

We must remember that we cannot earn God’s favor. God’s love is freely given not because of what we’ve done or will do, but simply because He wants to be near us.

This is the great joy and promise of baptism. Through no effort of our own — not by special words, secret means, or even our own desires — we are saved. God saves us in baptism because it is His desire. We have added nothing to it. It saves because it is His will.

But, what does this have to do with loving our neighbor, you might ask. Our internal disposition, our focus towards the world has everything to do with loving our neighbor. Actions tainted by our own selfish desire for self-justification, aren’t pure love.

But, in our baptism, we are made free to stop worrying about ourselves. Knowing we are safely in the household of God, we can turn our eyes outwards. Safe in Christ, it’s not scary thinking about all the types of people who we’re required to love. Our works instead of needing to be favors to appease and angry God, are a witness of the new life birthed within us, a sign of the love that flows in and through us, a witness to God’s desire to share His ministry with us.

It is in this mind that we can return to the question of “who is my neighbor.” It’s not about who must I help or how many do I have to serve to get to Heaven. No, it’s more of a “where do you need me to go, God?” “How can I help most?” Asking, not because of any need for your salvation, but simply because working with God in His holy vineyard is a joy and honor. It’s our way to getting to work beside Him, to hear and see Him work miracles, and to be molded and made new by Him. Loving our neighbor means we get to help Jesus cook. We get to participate in His acts of unmerited love and grace to people who don’t always deserve it.

So, our neighbors, then, are easy to recognize. We know the simple definition. It really isn’t as hard as we’d like to make it sometimes. We all live in neighborhoods. We have people who live in our apartment building, who live on our street. We have people we see at the gym, the cashiers we see at Kroger’s, that person you see on your evening jog. Our neighbors are those who cross our paths. Our neighbors are the ones God’s sends us. Our neighbors do not need to be found. It is not a search or a mystery. “Neighbor” is not lacking definition or supply. They surround you.

The call is not to find or define “neighbors”, but being surrounded by them to love them. Smile when you see them. Help when you are asked. Move that branch from the sidewalk before someone trips. Put down your phone and talk to the cashier.

Our task is to pray, to walk with God, to remember our baptism, to grow in holiness and virtue. In these things, we are made ready to love our neighbor when called upon.

The Samaritan man in Jesus’ story didn’t just wake up as the type of person who jumps in and offers first aid and uses his own car as an ambulance. This was learned. He studied Torah. He learned of God’s call to care and love for even the stranger and prisoner. In small ways over a lifetime, he answered the call of the neighbors God sent his way. Each and every time he grew closer to God in working with Him. Each and every time, God left his heart a little bigger, his defaults slowly changed. By the time he walked past the nearly dead man in Jesus’ story, his default was love. His default was to serve. His default was to help the neighbor God placed in his path; no questions asked. For all he knew, the man had been beaten during a robbery attempt.

My call to us all today is for us to “Go and do […] likewise.” Be the person who is formed by Christ; the person whose default love.

Go to mass, pray the office, read your Bible, fast, feast, study the saints. But, do these things not so that God loves you more, but so that God’s love can make you more like Him.

You are surrounded by neighbors. Some who you like. Some who you don’t. Yes, we’re truly called to love them all.

If a rich man walks in here looking for help, we love him. If an immigrant comes, we love him. If a thief comes, we love him. If a grumpy man comes, we love him.

Our love isn’t about ignoring the law, accepting sin, or anything else. Love and justice are not at odds. I can love criminal, give him something to eat, and call the police. And, you know what, I can continue to love him in jail. Repentance and God’s grace; His love made real in our broken lives, are exactly what it means to be a neighbor.