Sunday, July 23, 2023
God & Neighbor
I get fed up pretty quickly with people who pluck a line from anywhere in the Bible, utterly out of context, and act like that line is the heart of the faith.
The truth is that Jesus did tell us what was most important. He was asked which of the rules were most important, and his response was to give two principles: Love your God and love your neighbor. (There was a follow-up question, "who is my neighbor?" and that is where the Good Samaritan parable is told, with the message that those who are hurt or despised are our neighbor).
There are some things that can draw from both commandments. For example, we can be inspired to protect the environment because it is God's creation, or because we want to save it for our neighbors. Other things (prayer, feeding the hungry) lean towards one or the other.
For many of us, one or the other comes more easily. I am inclined towards the imperative to love my neighbor, and have to consciously consider what I am doing to love God. I'm not big on public prayer or "praise music," but private prayer and constant discernment of the divine are what draw me closer to God in love.
