What neighbor, you may ask when hearing the command to love them. “It is kill or be killed,” or “walk softly and hope that you don’t light up anyone’s radar.” “Why should we love them? Can’t you see what’s going on?”

What’s going on is devastating. There is one point, though, on which we should all agree, left and right, white or black or brown: if we don’t love one another, then we cannot really claim to love God. 

When asked, what is the most important commandment, Jesus answered in two parts, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

They are inseparable, these two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. God’s love compels us to love our neighbors… and our enemies. Instead of meeting on the streets to confront one another, perhaps we should meet on the streets to pray for one another.