Jesus, Not Jesús: Finding The Divine In The Space Between Us.
  • Be Kind
  • About this blog
  • About the author
  • Contact
  • Be Kind
  • About this blog
  • About the author
  • Contact

Bridge the Gap. Know your neighbor.

7/22/2014

0 Comments

 

Many of us live our lives in a kind of community. We live in neighborhoods and apartment buildings. We work in offices or commune in classrooms. We have social communities, religious communities, and of course familial communities.

We know who our neighbors are, and for the most part we even know many by name. But what do we really know about them? And how would you describe them? After the events of September 11, 2001 many people began to shut their windows and lock their doors to the outside world. Many began to divert their eyes from strangers, preferring to keep to themselves, while at the same time keeping a close watch on anyone who might seem different than them.

I was guilty of this at times. I too began to look at people with suspicious eyes. Especially those who "looked" like they were of Middle Eastern descent. As security at airports intensified, I began to blame anyone who looked "brown skinned" for the pain and suffering I had to endure by taking off my shoes before I could go through the metal detector.

I recall a Latino remarking to a friend that he was not only accused of being an illegal alien but now people thought he might be "one of those terrorist." Here was a man who had personally understood discrimination, who had felt the burning gaze of police and citizens alike, and he himself could not see his neighbor as anything but a threat to his way of life.

The current plight of the thousands of people (many whom are small children) who seek refuge in a country like the United States is difficult to balance. On one hand they need refuge and safety. On the other hand, we need our rules and regulations to be safeguarded to protect our citizens from people who seek to inflict real damage and harm.

But as political lines are drawn and as peoples lives are being further disrupted, I cannot help but to think of the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-36).

The story begins by answering the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Is it the person lying in the street, beaten, robbed and barely alive? Or is it the priest who, because of religious purity laws and fear, pass by the wounded man? Or is it the wounded man's enemy, a dirty untrustworthy Samaritan, who not only risks his own ifs to save the guy, but also takes on the financial burden to ensure the man recovers from the violence that had been afflicted upon him?

The neighbor, as Jesus makes clear, is not the first two but the latter. He is the one who has crossed the road, "bandaged His wounds, pouring oil and wine on them...lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him."

Who are we crossing the street to care for? Who are we going out of our way to meet? Who are we helping when no one else will? What laws can we overlook to in our lives to protect and care for those who are dying on the side of the road?

Who is your neighbor? Henri Nouwen writes, "My neighbor is the one who crosses the road for me."

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Ian Macdonald

    An ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. 

    "that they all might be one"  ~John 17:21


    “Prius vita quam doctrina.”
    ​~ S
    t. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)​
    * “Life is more important than doctrine.”


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

Be Kind

About this blog

About The Author

Contact

Copyright © 2011