Galatians 1:6-12 / Luke 10:25-37
When all is said and done, usually what really happens is that more is said than done.
In the case of the lawyer in the gospel passage, even at the end when Jesus asked him which of the three persons in the parable proved to be a neighbour, he could only answer "The one who took pity on him".
He couldn't even bring himself to say "the Samaritan".
Of course, the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans at that time was understandable.
Yet, in spite of the parable of Jesus, nothing much has changed for the lawyer.
He knew all the right answers. It was more a question of putting those answers into actions.
Today we also honour St. Francis of Assisi. He put the answer to eternal life in a manner that is quite astonishing.
His neighbours were not only the people around him. He even had an affinity to the whole of creation. He would address them as "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon".
He loved all that God had created because all that God created is good.
That is what eternal life is all about.
When we can look at another person and see that person as a sister or brother, then eternal life has already begun in us.