Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time 2020

In our Gospel today (Mk 12:28-34) a scribe asks Jesus which is the first of the commandments. Now when we think of commandments we typically think of the Ten Commandments. But scribes were experts in Mosaic Law, made up of 613 commandments. Jesus summarizes all the laws into these two commandments, to love our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In Luke (cf Lk 10:25-37) we hear something very similar, but the question is raise, who is my neighbor. Jesus replies with the story of the Good Samaritan, in which we learn EVERYONE is our neighbor. Who do you say are your neighbors? Are they the people who look like you, act like you, think like you? Or are they the people Jesus defines as your neighbors, the people who look different from you, act differently, think differently?