Who is My Neighbor?
by CAPP-USA
Introduction: A Radical Call to Love All
The scribe’s question—“Who is my neighbor?” (Lk 10:29)—still echoes today. Jesus answers not with a definition but with a story: the Good Samaritan. In it, He reveals a radical vision of love that crosses boundaries of blood, nation, and even enmity.
To love our neighbor is not just to be kind; it is to love as God loves us, without exception. This love embraces the poor, the stranger, the immigrant—and even our enemies.
“One’s neighbor must therefore be loved, even if an enemy, with the same love with which the Lord loves him or her; and for that person’s sake one must be ready for sacrifice, even the ultimate one: to lay down one’s life for the brethren.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 40)
This is a foundation of the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Solidarity — and we will explore how Catholic Social Teaching calls us to live out this expansive vision of neighborly love.
Who is my neighbor? All are my neighbor. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
At the heart of Catholic teaching lies the timeless command to “love your neighbor as yourself”, (Lev 19:18) a call that transcends mere obligation and invites a profound connection rooted in divine love.
This principle urges us to see our neighbor through God’s eyes—loving them selflessly as an expression of our love for Him.
KEY QUOTES ON LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR
“[L]ove of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God, and…closing our eyes to our neighbor also blinds us to God.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 16)
“Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1822)
“[L]ove of neighbor, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility of each individual member of the faithful”. (Pope Benedict XVI, 20)
“What is needed is the willingness to ‘lose ourselves’ for the sake of others”. (Pope Francis, 4)
“Everything, then, must be done for God’s glory and not our own…this must accompany every gesture of help to our neighbor, avoiding that it becomes a means to make ourselves the center of attention.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 3)
It is no longer love our neighbor as our self but love our neighbor as God loves us.
My Neighbor: The Poor
The call to recognize the poor as our neighbor resonates deeply in Catholic teaching, echoing Christ’s words, “I was hungry and you gave me to eat”. (Mt 25:35) This command extends beyond material poverty to include moral and spiritual need, urging us to respond with active love and solidarity.
Serving the poor is not just a moral duty but a transformative act of faith, challenging us to respond with compassion and hands-on care to those in need, mirroring Christ’s own love for the marginalized.
KEY QUOTES ON LOVING THE POOR
For the Church, loving the poor “extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2444)
So, whether the poverty is material, moral, or spiritual we must “exercise solidarity…the love and service of neighbor, especially of the poorest”. (Pope St. John Paul II, 46)
“To ignore…the immense multitudes of the hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without medical care and, above all, those without hope of a better future…would mean becoming like the ‘rich man’ who pretended not to know the beggar Lazarus lying at his gate.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 42)
“Where the poor are concerned, it is not talk that matters; what matters is rolling up our sleeves and putting our faith into practice through a direct involvement, one that cannot be delegated.” (Pope Francis, 7)
My Neighbor: The Stranger
The call to welcome the stranger as our neighbor is an ancient concept: “You shall not oppress a stranger…for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 23:9) and ”you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt”. (Lev 19:33-34)
And this is a cornerstone of Christian life, rooted in Christ’s words, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”. (Mt 25:35)
This teaching challenges us to overcome fear or indifference, embracing those unknown to us with love and selflessness as a brother or sister in need.
And the surprise? Doing so not only fulfills God’s command to love as we have been loved – it transforms our hearts.
KEY QUOTES ON LOVING THE STRANGER
“Love of neighbor…consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even persons whom I do not like or even know.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 18)
“A stranger is no longer a stranger for the person who must become a neighbour to someone in need”. (Pope St. John Paul II, 41)
“In your Christian lives, you will find many occasions that will tempt you…to push away the stranger, the needy, the poor and the broken-hearted.” (Pope Francis)
“This is charity! A charity which makes no exception because of the other person’s ethnic origin, religious allegiance or political preference, no exceptions whatsoever; a charity which sees the person as a brother or sister in need and seeks only one thing: to be of immediate assistance, to be a neighbor.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 4)
“By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger.” (Pope Benedict XVI)
My Neighbor: The Immigrant
The immigrant stands as a neighbor deserving of our care and respect, a truth affirmed in Catholic teaching as we reflect on Christ’s call to love one another.
The Church emphasizes the intrinsic dignity of every migrant, urging us to respond with welcome, protection, and integration amidst complex challenges.
They challenged us to see immigrants not as outsiders, but as brothers and sisters whose rights and humanity we are called to uphold with compassion.
KEY QUOTES ON LOVING THE IMMIGRANT
“Complex challenges arise when our neighbor happens to be an immigrant. Our response to the arrival of migrating persons can be summarized by four words: welcome, protect, promote and integrate.” (Pope Francis,129)
“Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 62)
“[C]aring for immigrants, refugees and nomads; and various social works…can be expressions of charitable zeal”. (Pope St. John Paul II, 58)
“I realize that some people are hesitant and fearful with regard to migrants…and it is forgotten that they possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person.” (Pope Francis, 39-40)
My Neighbor: My Enemies
The call to love our enemies, as taught by Christ in “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”, (Mt 5:44-45) challenges us to transcend hatred and embrace a radical love.
This transformative command invites us to break the cycle of evil with good and pray for those who oppose us. Loving our enemies is at the heart of the Christian revolution, turning adversaries into neighbors through acts of grace and mercy.
KEY QUOTES ON LOVING MY ENEMIES
“Love of one’s enemy constitutes the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution’…the revolution of love”. (Pope Benedict XVI)
“Loving our enemies, those who persecute us and cause us suffering…is the path pointed out and taken by Jesus for our salvation.” (Pope Francis)
“Even an enemy ceases to be an enemy for the person who is obliged to love him…The height of this love is to pray for one’s enemy.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 41)
“We are called to love everyone, without exception; at the same time, loving an oppressor does not mean allowing him to keep oppressing us…true love for an oppressor means seeking ways to make him cease his oppression.” (Pope Francis, 241)
So, loving one’s enemy “does not consist in succumbing to evil, as a false interpretation of ‘turning the other cheek’…but in responding to evil with good and thereby breaking the chain of injustice.” (Pope Benedict XVI)
“On the Christian path ‘there is no place for hatred’…Being able ‘to pray for your enemies: that is the last step’ you must climb…to heal ‘wounded hearts from sin’”. (Pope Francis)
The Bottom Line: Embracing All as Neighbors
My neighbor is everyone God puts in my path. “No one is excluded”. (Pope Francis)
The radical truth of Jesus’ teaching is that our neighbor is every soul we encounter—near or far, friend or foe—each reflecting God’s image and deserving of our love.
We are called to live this love actively, transforming our hearts and communities by welcoming the poor, the stranger, the immigrant, and even our enemies with the same self-giving love Christ offers us.
In this boundless embrace, we find the fullness of our faith and the peace of God’s kingdom.
