Today's Gospel tells us of a teacher of the Law who asked Jesus what he thought was the most important Law. Jesus threw the question back at the man and asked him his opinion. The lawyer then gave two quotations from the Law of Moses: one tells us to love God with all our heart and soul and the other tells us to love our neighbour as ourself. Jesus approved of the answer and told the man to go and live that way. But the man wanted to make sure of the rightness of his position and asked, Who is my neighbour?

The answer he got must have surprised and even shocked him, when Jesus told a parable about a man (presumably a Jew) who was attacked and robbed and left lying beside the road. Just then two men - one a Jewish priest and after him, a Levite - passed by. These were two devout people connected with the Temple saw the injured man, but passed by on the other side as far away from him as possible. Then a Samaritan came along, a person who was despised by Jews. He saw the man and was filled with compassion. He then did all that was necessary to help the injured man.

Jesus then asks: Who in this story is the neighbour? And the lawyer replies: "The one who gave loving help." The question to ask is not: Who is my neighbour? But rather, Am I a neighbour to everyone I meet?