“If
I have no contact whatsoever with God in my life, then I
cannot see in the other anything more than the other, and
I am incapable of seeing in him the image of God. But if
in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of
a desire to be “devout” and to perform my “religious
duties”, then my relationship with God will also grow
arid. It becomes merely “proper”, but loveless.
Only my readiness to encounter my neighbor and to show him
love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my
neighbor can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and
how much he loves me… Love of God and love of neighbor
are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment.” |