And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

(Matthew 22:39 NIV)

I was driving to have lunch out with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in years. When I arrived at the restaurant I saw him standing outside the entrance. I parked and started to walk over when I saw a homeless man near the edge of the parking lot. I stopped and gave him a few dollars before going on to my friend. As I walked over I saw my friend shaking his head. “You have always been such a soft touch,” he said. “How do you know if that guy is even homeless? How do you know that he isn’t going to spend the money you gave him on drugs?” “How do you know that he is?, ” I replied with a smile.

After we spent a hour eating and catching up on the years we split the check. My friend shook his head again when he saw me leave the waitress a large tip. “You’ll never change!”, he said. I laughed out loud and replied, “I hope I never do.” As he drove away I wondered if my friend was right. His wallet certainly was heavier than mine, but I knew my heart felt lighter than his. He was definitely richer in the eyes of the world, but I felt richer in the eyes of Heaven.

I have always believed that the loving way is the way to behave towards everyone. Our Father in Heaven commanded us to Love our neighbor as ourselves (See Matthew 22:39) and Jesus taught that our neighbor is everyone (See Luke 10:25-37). It doesn’t matter if they are white, black, brown, or yellow. It doesn’t matter if they are rich, poor, healthy, sick, homeless, or disabled. We are asked to Love everyone (See 1 Peter 1:22, John 13:34-35) and that is what I try to do every single day. And if that makes me a soft touch then so be it.

Don’t be afraid to be a soft touch then. Don’t be afraid to let the Love within you out. Don’t be afraid to give your time, your talents, your money, and your kindness to help those around you. We are all one family in this world. We are all God’s children. And every bit of love we share helps to make this Earth more like Heaven.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22 NIV)

Joseph J. Mazzella