This weekend Jesus tells a parable to answer a simple question from a man who is trying to understand what he has to do to “inherit eternal life.” When the man first poses the question, Jesus recites the two great commandments as His answer. You remember the two great commandments, don’t you? This is a basic of our belief! Here they are: you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul AND you must love your NEIGHBOR as yourself.” Either the questioner was trying to trick Jesus with his next question OR he sincerely had a desire to really understand all that would be asked of him in pursuing eternal life. You decide! The man further asks, “Who is my neighbor?” In other words, do I have to just love my relatives…or just love my friends…or just love those I work with…or just love those who live near me…? It’s a question I think that we all might ask today, but perhaps not always consciously. We want to know upfront just how far does this “loving thing” extend. Jesus has the perfect answer when He responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable clearly indicates that a “neighbor” is anyone who needs help. Jesus, the Good Samaritan par excellence, gave us a final commandment during the Last Supper, He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” This is a tall order, but Jesus reminds us over and over again in the Scriptures that God dwells in EVERY human being…so how can we eliminate anyone from our love if we profess to love the Lord. Hmmmm…makes sense to me! Let us endeavor to remember that the “road from Jerusalem to Jericho” (in the parable) passes right through our home, parish, school and work place. We may at any time find our spouse, our children, our parents, our friends, our acquaintances, any “passer-by” lying “wounded” by bitter words or scathing criticism or by other more blatant forms of verbal, emotional or physical abuse. Voila! This is an invitation to us from Jesus to “love our neighbor”…just as the Good Samaritan did. We are invited to be people of generosity, kindness, compassion, and mercy toward all who are suffering. A sincere smile, a cheery greeting, an encouraging word of appreciation, a heartfelt “thank you” can work wonders for a suffering person. This week, allow the ‘Good Samaritans’ to touch your life. Be willing to touch, or be touched by, persons who may not even be all that attractive to you. Let us pray that the Spirit of the Living God will melt all of us, mold us and use us, so that there will no longer be even one person who is untouchable or outside the boundaries of compassion. This definitely is a tall order!!! Columnist Ann Landers once wrote, "Be kind to people. The world needs kindness so much. You never know what sort of battles other people are fighting. Often just a soft word or a warm compliment can be immensely supportive. You can do a great deal of good by just being considerate, by extending a little friendship, going out of your way to do just one nice thing, or saying one good word." Mark Twain once wrote, "Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can read." Great advice for us…all of us! GOSPEL QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are you able to let go of your grudges, prejudices, etc. to “LOVE EVERYONE”?