“You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere.”

Gospel Reflection for October 7, 2024

“There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him 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 to him, ‘You have 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 and 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 and 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 robbers’ victim?’ He answered, ‘The one who treated him with mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Lk. 10:25-37 NABRE)

Jesus calls us to live with love and mercy, but what does it mean to be loving and merciful? How can we live this out in our daily lives? In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable which offers an example for us to follow. Our Lord teaches His children, you and me, that when we come upon someone in need, we are called to share His unbound love and mercy with them by offering them help, care, and support.

It is a convicting truth, but we cannot call ourselves true Christians if we do not treat others as Jesus taught us to. If we ignore the needs of others due to our own impatience, indifference, selfishness, and lack of love and mercy, we are failing to live with love. We are failing to imitate the life of our Lord Jesus, Who loved you and I without limit. Even to the point of death.

Do we live our lives with such unbounding, selfless love? Do we make sacrifices by placing others before ourselves?

The Scriptures tell us that no matter what we do for God or for others, if we do not have love within our hearts, we are absolutely nothing. Even if we achieve great accomplishments, if we live our lives with cold hearts, we are nothing.

Saint Paul tells us, “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

Jesus taught Saint Faustina regarding this, and explained that there are three ways to exercise mercy towards our neighbor. He told her:

“My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first—by deed, the second—by word, the third—by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.”¹

So, may we heed Jesus’ words by sharing God’s love and mercy with others through deed, word, and prayer!

1. M. Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of the Servant of God, Sister M. Faustina Kowalska (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 1987), 297.