"Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not by merely talking about it." 1 Jn 3, 18

Love Your Neighbor

You have heard people say, "Love your neighbors and hate your enemies" But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your heavenly parent... God makes the sun rise on the good and the bad, and sends rain on those who do right and those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, how are you any better than the worst? Even tax collectors love their friends. If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Matt 5:43

Jesus' one commandment was to love, and to love without exception. This is easier said than done, of course. The big question is, how do we get there from here?

• Fake it 'till you make it... Act in lovingkindness even when you don't feel like it... and watch how they react, and how you feel even if the person you are behaving well towards behaves badly in return. If it's not about them, it's about you, then you are the only person who controls your feelings on this.
• Look at the other person and see if you can fathom the root of their suffering. We are all suffering and all acting to try to avoid suffering and seeking to be happy.
• Awaken our own compassionate awareness through meditation practice.

Who is our neighbor? Jesus' dharma teaching, in the parable about the Good Samaritan tells us a lot: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead with no clothes. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, and he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he too passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and looked after him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." [Luke 10:10-37]

• Imagine if you were beaten and robbed...
• Imagine if you were left even without clothes...
• Imagine your peers ignore you...
• Someone you wouldn't usually give the time of day to, saves you generously and compassionately
• Samaritans were a very low caste, so despised that when Jesus asked 'who was the true neighbor?' nobody could spit out the word 'Samaritan'