Pope Francis’ “prayer intention” for the month of October is: “For a Church that is open to everyone.” Through this intention, the Holy Father is asking that we pray for a Church, faithful to the Gospel and courageous in its announcement of the Good News, that will be dedicated to solidarity, fraternity, and welcome.
A perfect “role model” for this intention is the Good Samaritan, about whom Jesus tells a parable in Luke 10, 25-37. It is worth remembering that the Samaritan would have been, in the eyes of the Jews, an alien and a heretic. There was strong hostility between the two neighboring peoples on historical, geographical, racial, and religious grounds. This “outsider,” presumed to have nothing of the spirit of God’s mercy and compassion, gives us much to ponder. He went to extraordinary lengths to take care of the injured man, sparing no expense.
The question of Jesus at the end of the parable is interesting: “Which of the three was a neighbor to the man?” The answer is equally interesting: “The one who showed compassion towards him.”
Given the Holy Father’s prayer request for this month, let’s remember that a neighbor is someone who shows compassion to another in need – irrespective of who the helper or the person in need may be. It is less a question of seeing every other person as our neighbor but, much more importantly, of our being actively a neighbor to others, not on the basis of their race, nationality, occupation, gender, skin color, or personality, but on the basis of need. And who does not need love and compassion?
