Dear Parishioners,
HE BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN US
They say all of commandments can be wrapped up by the following:
You shall love the Lord, your God
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
And with all your mind.
And
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
These two are really one in-the-same because if you love the Lord with everything you have, you will want to be like Him. You will want to do what He does because you see the “results of His goodness.”
If you look at the countless examples of Jesus’s encounters with others, you will see a pattern:
First step: He accepts people for what they are. He doesn’t judge them because of their short comings or their weakness.
Second step: He gives them hope and the desire to seek a new direction. A direction that leads to the Father.
Third step: He never ceases to encourage and support them.
So what is the net result? People want to do the same for others. Not because they are obligated to do so, but because they WANT to be like Him. We don’t know the background of the Good Samaritan in today’s Gospel, but it is possible that he, too, felt the love and goodness of the Lord in his life, and in response, he responded — without hesitation — to care for the needs of a total stranger.
The Lord has a most powerful way of bringing out the best in us. We just have to recognize that He is continually implementing His three steps as we journey through life.
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Lito