Who is my neighbour?

After coming back from Mass in St Timothy's Ely last evening I settled down for the Dispatches programme My Street, it showed a typical street in London (if there is such a thing!) It charted the joys and many sorrows of those who lived in the street. Having reflected on the reading about Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31)at Mass and it provided much food for thought about the question who is my neighbour? Living in a city asking that question for many people can be a difficult one. It reminded me of the sadness of some of the funerals that I take where there a very few distantly related family members yet no one from the immeadiate neighbourhood. Of course there can be many reasons for that and we cannot simply dismiss it as mere human selfishness there is also a fair bit of fear of other people involved as well. I suppose it may well have been a measure of fear as well as revulsion and fear of catching disease that kept the Rich Man from extending compassion to Lazarus. Let's hope that is something we can overcome when we ask ourselves the question Who is my neighbour?