NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small Christian communities that gather in the home weekly to prayerfully discuss the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. It’s easy to form a community and you can find out more at Christ in Our Neighborhood – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (dphx.org)
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The question the Christ in Our Neighborhood reflection asks us is: Who is your neighbor?
The Gospel tells us that the teacher of the law was trying to justify himself by asking “Who is my neighbor?” The original Greek of the Gospel shows that the man was asking “Who is near to me?”
Jesus turns things around by asking instead, which of the three persons in the parable was neighbor to the injured man, or in Greek, which of them “became near” to him.
We “become near” or neighbor to others when we are moved by compassion. The Good Samaritan lived nowhere near the injured man but encountered him along the way.
We, too, encounter many walking wounded on our way each day. Jesus calls us to show mercy and compassion, not just to those who are like us, but to everyone we meet.
If you haven’t joined a Christ in Our Neighborhood small group yet, perhaps you are being called to start one yourself. Check out our website today to find out more: dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
