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Who is my neighbor?
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)
Most of us are comfortable loving our theoretical neighbors. We may even give to charities that serve the needs of people who live in another city, state, or country. But what about the people who live next door, across the street, or down the block? You know - our neighbors?
When Jesus told us to “love our neighbors,” did he really mean the family who lives next door to me with the yappy dog? Or the man who mows his lawn at 6am on Saturday? Are we really called to love them? (Spoiler alert: yes.) And if so, how? (Glad you asked!)
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"The Art of Neighboring" Lenten Program: Choose your Challenge!
“The Art of Neighboring” is a 6-week program that consists of three "Neighboring Challenges", listed below. Challenges include small group gatherings, prayer, and acts of service to our neighbors. Choose to do one, two, or all three! No matter what you decide to do, we know that the Art of Neighboring program will help our parish reflect on the ways we witness to God’s love through acts of kindness, concern, and generosity toward our neighbors."Preach the gospel always; when necessary, use words." (St. Francis of Assisi)
The Art of Neighboring Challenge 1.0: Learn your neighbors' names. (Yes, that's it!)
This Lenten season, we are challenging all parishioners pf St. Ignatius of Loyola to learn their neighbors names. That's it! The next time you see your neighbor mowing their lawn, walking their dog, unloading the groceries - just go introduce yourself. To help you, we will be distributing a free fridge magnet with a handy-dandy "neighborhood map" after all Masses the weekend of February 20/21 and in the parish office during Lent.
The Art of Neighboring Challenge 2.0: Join a small group
What if Jesus meant we should love our actual neighbors? What would that even look like? How would it change our block, our neighborhood, our community? Join The Art of Neighboring small group book study and find out! Groups will begin meeting the week of February 28.
English language small groups will dicuss chapters from the book, The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. There is a small fee of $8 to cover the cost of the book. Once you have registered, you will be contacted about payment & pick up procedures.
Spanish language groups will also be available, and will read selections from Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis' latest encyclical (available to download for free from the Vatican website). Read this information in Spanish.
The Art of Neighboring Challenge 3.0: Neighboring Projects
During Holy Week, we challenge you to complete one or more "Neighboring Projects" - small acts of neighborly kindness that make a big difference! This could be as simple as having a friendly conversation, offering a sincere compliment ("Your rose bushes are always so beautiful!"), or having dinner delivered to a sick neighbor. For more ideas, check out this Covid-19 Neighboring Toolkit
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