Respecting people's difference is living God's commandments
by Sister Agnes Fischer
The scribe in Sunday’s Gospel extends the meaning of loving God with one’s mind to loving God with what one’s mind does. Mark’s account depicts this scribe as sincere. Jesus and the scribe agree on the greatest commandments -- love God and love neighbor! Stories like this one drive us to become more open to the other, including the faithful people within and without our own religious tradition.
Some questions to ponder:
- How and what do we think of our neighbors, including those who disagree with us?
- Can we discover in our neighbors people who have religious commitments that allow them to share in God’s love for the world?
- With Jesus, may we admit that these people are also “not far from the kingdom”?
Love for our neighbor coincides with a respect of our neighbor’s belief system or lack thereof. In respecting our neighbor, we carry out the mission of human dignity which, in turn, represents a love for Jesus.
Thank you for this reminder to respect our neighbor's beliefs and ideas. Great questions to reflect on!