What does Scripture want me to become?

 Unit 1, Main Questions: ◦ What kind of person am I? ◦ What kind of person do I want to become? ◦ How did we answer these questions?  Unit 2, Main Question ◦ What does my culture or society want me to become? ◦ How did we answer this question?  Another possible response “You are exactly what God had in mind when God made you.” (Father Greg Boyle, Santa Margarita, November 11, 2010)

What about those who don’t think they are good, worthwhile people, the ones the culture has rejected, who live on the margins of society? How do we respond to them? Sister Helen Travis Father Greg Boyle Mother Teresa Mohandas Gandhi Dorothy Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Bono Doctors without Borders

 The Ethic of Reciprocity, aka The Golden Rule ◦ The Talmud tells a story of Rabbi Hillel, who lived around the time of Jesus. A pagan came to him saying that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could stand on one foot. Rabbi Hillel replied, "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it."  The Great Commandment  Matthew 22:34-40 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue ◦ How to love God: 1.No other gods before God 2.Do not take the name of God in vain 3.Keep the Sabbath holy  How to love your neighbor: 4.Honor your father and mother 5.Do not kill 6.Do not commit adultery 7.Do not steal 8.Do not bear false witness against a neighbor 9.Do not covet your neighbor’s wife 10.Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

 “ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ “What is written in the Torah?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”  He answered, ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”’  ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

 “In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”’  (Jesus asked) ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:27-35)

The Good Samaritan with the victim of a crime Matthew Shepard, victim of a hate crime

Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking Ex-gang members of Homeboy Industires

The homeless in America The children of Haiti

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25: 31-40)

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:20-21)