We live in a world that is in constant protest against the inequalities of wealth and capitalist ambitions, those who have the power to do good do not do it. All this is a sign that the love of God is ignored in many hearts. Those of us who are part of the body of Christ should ask ourselves: "What does God expect of me?"
Oh man, he has declared to you what is good, and what the Lord asks of you: only to do justice, and to love mercy, and to humble yourself before your God (Micah 6: 8)
He who loves God, loves mercy and will show it towards his neighbor. The whole divine law is summarized in loving your neighbor as yourself.
Proverbs 3
27 Do not refuse to do good to who is due,
When you had the power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor: Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give you,
When you have with you what to give.
29 Do not try badly against your neighbor
Who lives confidently with you.
Do not owe anyone anything, but love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law (Romans 13: 8)
Who is my neighbor?
This same question was asked by a teacher of the Hebrew law to Jesus. (Luke 10; 29) The teacher of the law expected Jesus to assign him the exact limits of his duty, but this was the wise answer:
Lucas 10
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus: And who is my neighbor?
30 Jesus answered and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him; and wounding him, they left, leaving him half dead.
31 And it came to pass that a priest came down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by.
32 Likewise a Levite, coming near that place, and seeing him, passed by.
33 But a Samaritan, who was on his way, came near him, and when he saw him, he was moved with mercy; 34 And approaching, he bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and putting him on his mount, he took him to the inn, and took care of him.
35 On another day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and everything you spend more, I'll pay you when you return.
36 Who then of these three do you think was the neighbor of the one who fell into the hands of the thieves?
37 He said: He who used mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him: Go, and do the same.
Those who profess Christ must move away from every excuse and not question the demands of God.
As long as we consider the law of love as an obligation, that will not be the love that God wants us to demonstrate. Love does not consist only in being moved by the misery of the other, notice how the Samaritan stopped in spite of how dangerous that place was, paid and promised to pay for all that was necessary. More than "doing a charity" he risked without reservation or calculation, and this with a stranger.
On occasion Martin Luther King pointed out that love is not content to relieve the suffering,
"To begin with, we have to be the good Samaritan for those who have fallen by the wayside. For some day we will have to recognize the forces that the road to Jericho must be done differently, so that men and women will no longer be beaten and stripped continually as they move along the path of life."
Once more Jesus makes us see that, many times, those who appear to be an official, or those who believe that they are law-abiding, do not know how to love. He was nothing less than a Samaritan, that is to say a foreigner, they wanted to be considered a heretic, who was moved to mercy.
God is not hopeful that the political and governmental organizations will agree to help each other, He has enabled the church to show His love in the world, He trusts us to give the hand to the fallen, heal the wounded, let's feed the hungry. When Jesus saw the hungry people, he told his disciples: "Give him to eat."
Beloved brothers, let us not refuse to do good to those who are due, when we have the power to do it. Telling your neighbor: go and return tomorrow, with the intention of not giving it is sin. Let's stop indolence and embrace our relatives, friends, neighbors, strangers and foreigners with the love of God.
Matthew 25
34 Then the King will say to those on his right: Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you picked me up;
36 I was naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; in prison, and you came to me.
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and gave you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger, and we picked you up, or naked, and we covered you?
39 Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?
40 And the King will answer and say to them, "Truly, I say to you, as soon as you did it to one of these my younger brothers, you did it to me.
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