Please forgive me for lack of original thought this morning. But this quote from Joseph Sitter spoke to me, and I thought it worth sharing. It is linked to today’s appointed Gospel text, Luke 10:25-37, the encounter between Jesus and the legalist who wanted to justify himself. In reply, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.
From Gravity and Grace, by Joseph Sittler:
“I am not told that I am to like my neighbor; I am ordered to love him or her. Luther’s explication of our relation to the neighbor brings us close to a right understanding. Our neighbors, in the biblical sense, are those persons who live in God’s creation with us in the solidarity of our life together on this earth. Though I cannot will myself to feel and oceanic affection for all people, I can acknowledge my bond with the whole of creation. In that bond I am to recognize the authenticity, the therenesss, the concrete life and existence of the other.
“In the broad context of human solidarity the exercise of love is realized in transaffectional justice. Real love grasps the hand that need holds out. Needs cry out from millions I will never meet. Justice is love operating at a distance. When, for instance, my church tells me that millions of people are starving and that it is my duty to show my love for them though helpful actions, I become aware of the transindividual meaning of love. I cannot feel any immediate affection for two million people. Love becomes a recognition of the neighbor in his or her need, and takes the transpersonal form of distributed food.”
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