Day 20: Who is My Neighbor?

Jesus tells us clearly and directly to love our neighbor.

Our neighbor includes more than our loved ones.

It is the leper that St. Francis embraced in the streets of Assisi. It is the unhoused that Sts. Vincent and Louise served in Paris. It is the misunderstood, the hungry, and the lonely that Dorothy Day cared for in New York City.

Today, we, like the great saints, and countless others who understood the assignment, are not short of a neighbor in need.

Consider that nearly 9% of the world’s population- 712 million people- live in extreme poverty, defined as less than $2.15 per day. That is half of one Starbucks drink or a quarter of a hot dog at Fenway Park.

Consider the amount of people wounded from war, victims of violence, and overwhelmed by trauma and abuse. Can we even capture those who lost their homes and loved ones to severe weather, disease, and lack of human rights such as clean water and air?

If we allow Christianity to be as simple as loving those who pass our judgment test or share our point of view or family name, we are missing the point.

We are called to do and be something more. Our prayers are essential, but so is our empathy, compassion, and action.

Let us allow God to answer prayers through us this Lenten season, and beyond.