Daily Gospel Reflection for October 5, 2020

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

Reflection by Julie Ann Monzi

Today's Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

As I taught the Ten Commandments to my 5th grade religious education class, one of the young boys asked, “What’s all this about your ‘neighbor’? What makes them so special?” I smiled when I realized he thought we were talking about his next door neighbor, and no one else.

As in today’s Gospel, Jesus isn’t speaking of just my next door neighbor, the one who lives in the next house to my right or to my left. Jesus wants us to be a good neighbor to everyone.

Have you heard that old adage “Good fences make good neighbors”? Jesus is asking us to tear down those barriers in our hearts and open ourselves to all the people He places in our path. And not just the ones who become our best friends, either.

What about that annoying co-worker you have? Or that woman you run into at the grocery store every week? You know, the one who is such a downer and complains about everything. Or that pesky cousin you see during the holidays? And then there’s the complete stranger – the one on the street corner who needs a bath and mumbles to himself.

Yes, all of those people are our neighbors. We need to be “neighborly” to them with our words and our deeds. Perhaps just saying, “I understand”, to the woman at the store. Or offering a prayer for your co-worker and cousin, asking God to bless them this day. A smile for the stranger on the corner can go a long way to brightening his day.

Being neighborly doesn’t always involve grand gestures like the ones done by the merciful Good Samaritan. Showing mercy and kindness can be as simple as a smile and a sincere prayer.

Ponder:

How can I be a good neighbor today?

Pray:

Jesus, help me to be a good neighbor to everyone You place in my path today and remember the words of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, "A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul."

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Being neighborly doesn’t always involve grand gestures like the ones done by the merciful Good Samaritan. Showing mercy and kindness can be as simple as a smile and a sincere prayer. #dailygospel

Copyright 2020 Julie Ann Monzi

Julie Ann Monzi lives in Gettysburg, PA, with her husband, three grown children, and three cats. She enjoys reading, hiking the Gettysburg Battlefield, and watching British mysteries. Julie’s work has appeared in magazines that include Harpstring Magazine, Liguorian, and Radiant. You can find her on Facebook.