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The Heart of Religion

Yesterday I read a short reflection in Plough magazine about a woman who, according to the author, "was a neighbor...to every person who crossed her path." This woman's example impressed on me the idea that the sources of one's devotion--religious doctrine, methods of prayer and meditation, forms of worship, theological convictions--are peripheral to the work of love to which all human beings are called. One implication of this idea is that if my particular form of devotion is not making me a better neighbor (or parent or partner or friend or community member), then it is not worth pursuing.

I am reminded of Jesus's Parable of the Good Samaritan, narrated in the Gospel of Luke. Part of the point of that parable is that the good Samaritan was a Samaritan, and not a Jew. The source of his devotion, his religious milieu, differed greatly from that of Jesus and his listeners. Yet Jesus insisted that this religious outsider grasped the heart of religion more clearly than many of the Jews Jesus knew.

This does not mean that one's devotion is unimportant; far from it. It means instead that we must not mistake the particulars of our devotion for its purpose. Such confusion leads to misguided attempts to convert people from one religion to another. This is just putting the same old wine into new wine skins!

Attend to your devotion with quiet ardor, and let the light of your neighborly love shine on all who cross your path.

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