Good morning beloved child of God.
“The two blind men cried out, ‘Lord, have pity on us, Son of David’” (Mt 20:30). Our eyes are turned to the Lord; we look for his mercy.
Psalm 123
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens;
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.
Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full is our soul
with the scorn of the rich,
with the proud man’s disdain.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
TODAY’S WORD: Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Lk 10:30ff)
REFLECTION: Who is a neighbour? This was the question from an expert of the Law in the time of Jesus. This question came as a means for him to justify his righteousness.
What the religious books have taught seems beautiful, but how well do we apply them?
What do we read?
What do we hear?
What do we know?
And what do we do?
Lk:10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus tells the famous story of the Good Samaritan. And raises the bar on who we should call our neighbour.
The neighbour within, the neighbour without… neighbourliness transcends locality & religion; love transcends family and tribe. Do I really want others to judge me with the lens and prejudice of religion, tribe, or social status? We all fall short at one time or the other. Today we are called to love; we are called to go and be a GOOD Neighbour.
Peace be with you!
DAILY PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake.” Amen.
The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Think positive. It is well with you. God is in control. Have a blessed and fulfilling day.
ONE PERCENT BIBLE CHALLENGE: GENESIS 10.