Pope Francis suggests it is part of sinful and fallen human nature to dismiss others. Cain places himself above and beyond even the care of his brother. If our darker impulses are driving us to kill those closest to us, what does it say about the stranger?
57. This parable has to do with an age-old problem. Shortly after its account of the creation of the world and of man, the Bible takes up the issue of human relationships. Cain kills his brother Abel and then hears God ask: “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen 4:9). His answer is one that we ourselves all too often give: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (ibid.). By the very question he asks, God leaves no room for an appeal to determinism or fatalism as a justification for our own indifference. Instead, he encourages us to create a different culture, in which we resolve our conflicts and care for one another.
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Catholic Sensibility 