Daily Gospel Reflection for October 4, 2021

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Who is my neighbor?

Jesus' parable answers that question and describes the way we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we worry about inconveniencing ourselves be helping someone in need, we're doing it wrong.

The favorite saying of a character in a movie my kids used to watch was "See a need, fill a need." That character was trying to run a profitable business, but this slogan applies just as much to loving our neighbor. When the Good Samaritan happened upon the robbery victim, he did not ignore the need he saw. Instead, he dropped everything to make sure the victim was properly cared for.

I've used the "see a need, fill a need" line to try to teach my children that when they put another piece of trash into an already full wastebasket, they should go the extra step and empty that basket. But there's much more to it than that. The lawyer who'd asked Jesus the question in the first place noted that the person who had acted as a neighbor to the robbery victim was "the one who showed mercy to him." I need to help my children learn to see a need and not to hesitate to show mercy.

Sometimes the essence of mercy is simply seeing a need and dropping everything to fill it.

Ponder:

How will I teach my children today about how we can show love to our neighbors in need?

Pray:

Jesus, help me to remember that neighbors in need are never far from me. Help me to show mercy to my neighbor when I se a need today.

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Sometimes the essence of mercy is simply seeing a need and dropping everything to fill it. #dailygospel

Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz