Being a Good Neighbor
In the Gospel of Luke, the scholar of the law knew what the greatest commandment is: To love God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” What he meant was “Who deserves to be my neighbor?”
Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Then, Jesus asked the scholar of the law: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” In other words, Jesus was asking, “Who is the neighbor? Is it the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan?” To this, the scholar of the law responded: “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus’ question changes our perspective of a neighbor from the one who needs help to the one who gives help. If we see someone in need of help, and we go out of our way to help him, then we are being the neighbor. Another lesson of the parable is that being a “neighbor” requires consistency; we cannot be loving and kind one day and be hateful and unkind the next day. Therefore, what we can learn from the parable is not really how to identify who our neighbor is, or who we can be a neighbor to, but to transform our hearts into compassionate and loving hearts. As Jesus said to the scholar of the law, we must also “Go and do likewise.”
The Archdiocese of Atlanta will be honoring couples married in 1969 and 1959 for their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries. The special Mass will be held on October 5, 2019 at 12pm at St. Brigid Catholic Church. There is a reception following the Mass. Please let Fr. Bill know if your 50th or 60th wedding anniversary is in 2019. Thank you!
Beginning today, English classes will be held on Sundays from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Please check the schedule in our church website.
Fr. Lou Aldrich, S.J. is visiting our parish community on July 27-28, 2019. He will be giving a one-day seminar on July 27 from 10 am to 4 pm; the topic is: Spiritual Warfare. Beginning with the history of spiritual warfare, Father Aldrich will explain the nature of our main spiritual enemies and how to defeat them by faith in Jesus. This seminar will include how the devil affects us and how we can protect ourselves and others. The seminar will also examine why the devil is such a powerful force in today’s world and how we should respond to it. Father Aldrich will also explain the process by which temptation leads to sin; and how the attraction of the world keeps us away from God and away from the life of grace. Father Aldrich will also explain gernerational spiritual warfare. Engaging in spiritual warfare can ultimately help us develop spiritual and moral virtues, especially humility and love.