Daily Mass: The Good Samaritan reveals who is our neighbor

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." He replied, "You've answered correctly.

Do this and you will live." But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise, a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds, bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins, gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robber's victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Now, this beautiful parable, the Good Samaritan, we find it only in Luke, and it's here in chapter 10, follows upon the what is written in the law, what is the, the, the necessary thing for eternal life.

And what do we have here? You'll love the Lord your God and you'll love your neighbor, right? Those two great teachings that we've seen in other passages of Scripture where Jesus is just citing other passages of Go- of, of the Scriptures in order to bring them forward here.

Now, the point that I wanna make today is this notion that centers around the neighbor.

Who is my neighbor? Who do I gotta help? Do I gotta help my family? Do I, do I gotta help my extended family? Do I gotta help the people, like, who live, you know, around me in, in near vicinity? Do I have to l- help people who don't look like me, or sound like me, or maybe even don't believe in God like me? W- who's my neighbor? So Jesus doesn't answer the question directly.

He does the parable first and then follows it up.

And the parable is instructive for us.

Remember, Jesus is speaking to scholars of the law.

He's speaking to Jews.

And you have the person, he's beat up, left half dead.