Anything is possible for the one who believes nothing is impossible.
Never underestimate such a person.
Look back on your life and you will find many impossibilities that have become lived alternatives.
What we believe is impossible is only what we secretly wish is possible, but we remain too timid to dare.
Courage is the key to liberating possibility from impossibility. Courage is also the riskiest virtue, reserved only for the true.
– Osasu Oviawe
Day: October 5, 2020
The Good Neighbor
Luke 10:25-37
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Homily:
The parable of The Good Samaritan was a response to a trick question – “And who is my neighbor?”
The parable can actually be called “The Good Neighbor”, and it will still stand, but it is called “The Good Samaritan” to break down the walls of tribe that we erect to justify evil. Evil that we perpetuate more on ourselves than any outsider can ever muster.
My dad always used to advice, “Be at peace with those around you, no matter their place in society, for they will be the first responders in any of your emergencies and first responders determine whether you die or live.”
The ones we are to love are not the ones that first loved us. We need no advice to do that, our selfishness already inclines us in that direction. The ones we are to love are all those that God has placed on our path.
If they are on your path, they are in your care. Love them.