Mark the Evangelist does not bother to specify who the neighbour is, because a neighbour is a person whom I meet on the journey, in my days. It is not a matter of pre-selecting my neighbour: this is not Christian. I think my neighbour is the one I have chosen ahead of time: no, this is not Christian, it is pagan; but it is about having eyes to see and a heart to want what is good for him or her. If we practice seeing with Jesus’ gaze, we will always be listening and be close to those in need. Of course our neighbour’s needs require effective responses, but even beforehand they require sharing. With one look we can say that the hungry need not just a bowl of soup, but also a smile, to be listened to and also a prayer, perhaps said together. Today’s Gospel passage invites us all to be projected not only toward the needs of our poorest brothers and sisters, but above all to be attentive to their need for fraternal closeness, for a meaning to life, and for tenderness. This challenges our Christian communities: it means avoiding the risk of being communities that have many initiatives but few relationships; the risk of being community ‘service stations’ but with little company, in the full and Christian sense of this term. God, who is love, created us to love and so that we can love others while remaining united with him. It would be misleading to claim to love our neighbour without loving God; and it would also be deceptive to claim to love God without loving our neighbour. The two dimensions of love, for God and for neighbour, in their unity characterize the disciple of Christ. May the Virgin Mary help us to welcome and bear witness in everyday life to this luminous lesson. Ame I www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/fiveloaves-two-fish-philosophy Angelus Address given by Pope Francis on November 4, 2018 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2018/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20181104.html Picture: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/pope-francis-unique Coat of Arms: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en.html A From The Obligation of Mercy Towards Our Neighbor from the writings of Blessed Michael Sopocko: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/obligation-mercy-towards-our-neighbor “There is nothing more beautiful than the virtue of mercy. The essence of perfection is the love of God, but it is impossible without actively loving one's neighbor, and for this reason, St. John the Apostle call him a liar, who says that he loves God and does not bestow mercy upon his neighbor (1 Jn 4:7-21). “ Blessed Michael Sopocko
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