“ 'Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?' He answered, 'The one who treated him with mercy.'Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.' ” Luke 10:36-37

Luke’s Gospel for today sends a very strong message about the importance of not only believing in God and professing our faith, but also demonstrating the love for God and others. Jesus stresses that loving our neighbors as ourselves is an important way to show that we love God and hold true to our belief in him. This looking out for and caring for each other just as God does for us allows us to better understand one another and the love God has for us. Everyone is a child of God and thus must be treated as such which implies that we need to go outside ourselves to help others who are in need.

As a college student it is often times hard to think about other people's needs. I seem to frequently fall into the trap of thinking only about myself and the things I need other people to help me with. Whether it be academic, social or financial problems there is always something I am worried about. I have to be constantly aware of the other people around me in order to stop thinking about my needs so I can reach out to those around me who are in need of my help.

If caring for a person in a large way may seem like a large, daunting, unmanageable task, do not simply do nothing. Rather than ignoring a problem or pretending it does not exist, even doing something small for someone who is in need shows the person that you care and often guides us to the right path. Also, often times two people working together to help one another can make everything work out for the best. I always make sure to try to do the little things for other people. Even something as simple as holding the door open for someone carrying a lot of things or sitting with someone and listening while they divulge their problems to you, can make a big difference to someone else.

If we simply ignore the fact that there are other people around us that need our help, we are doing the opposite of loving Jesus and living our faith. We need to be the People of God and help others with this idea in mind!