"Lying at his door was a poor man"
Luke 16: 19-31
I recall a while back in the summer before my ordination I was
serving as a Deacon at the parish in Pendleton, Oregon. As I was being ordained for that Diocese it
was one of the larger parishes and the Pastor was open to assisting me in my
final months before ordination.
One day the Pastor happened to not be at the Parish at the time
and I answered the door and there stood a middle aged woman looking as if she
obviously needed some help. She asked if
she could have a ride over to the next town about an hour away over the
mountains. Well, I thought proudly that
this would be a good thing for a Deacon to do and I offered to take her there;
yes just the two of us alone in the car!
Yes, I was pretty naive, not at all prudent but at least well intentioned.
Along the way everything was fine, nothing happened we had a
chat so I dropped her off and came back to the parish. As I returned I was feeling pretty proud of
myself; sort of boasting in my mind about the good impression she must now have
of the Church and its ministers.
When I returned to the parish the Pastor was there and he had
discovered I was gone so he asked where I was.
I told him what I had done and he quickly stated to me, like a father to
a son, that I was well, not very smart about what I did. He warned me about the potential danger then
simply said: “Don’t you ever do that again.”
After a quick reflection I could not disagree, quickly “wised up” and
never did such a thing again or since; nonetheless there is a lesson here.
Our readings today make us stop and think not only about the
poor beggar Lazarus outside the door but even more so about ourselves in the
nameless rich man. Who is sitting outside our door? That is meant to be but an expression about
our awareness of those around us. As the saying goes, this parable is meant “to
afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted.”
So Jesus tells the story of a rich man “dressed in purple garments and fine linen who dined sumptuously each
day.” And daily outside his door was a poor starving beggar whose name was a
Lazarus. The fact that the rich man is
not named and the poor man is reminds us of the dignity of the poor. You can
imagine the rich man either arrogantly walked by or stepped over the poor. One
important point to make is that the rich man did see Lazarus. He knew he was there and he knew he was in a
desperate situation.
Our first reading from the prophet Amos (6: 1A, 4-7) takes a
similar tone. “Woe to the complacent in Zion . . . stretched comfortably on their
couches . . . they drink wine from bowls . . . they are not made ill by the
collapse of Joseph!” This is quite a description of lavish surroundings
with the intoxicated lying back on soft cushions, eating grapes and chocolate
truffles. They are so caught up in their luxurious life style they are blind
and
unmoved by the suffering of the unfortunate around them. What they really do care about is trivial and
meaningless.
Then, “the poor man died” and “the rich man also died and was
buried.” Death changed everything. The roles are reversed and the suffering
Lazarus now sits in heavenly luxury by the “bosom of Abraham, “a sign of
privileged position at a banquet table. While the rich man now begs for relief
in a place of “torment, “separated by a vast chasm between himself, Abraham,
and the now comforted Lazarus. The implication is that the rich man was in hell
and Lazarus in heaven.
While the story indicates the rich man very much knew Lazarus
since he calls him by name as he now sees him after death. All the while, he knew of Lazarus’ suffering
but remained indifferent to his fate. He
could have easily helped him but refused to do so. His own comfort and reputation were far more
important than to be bothered or inconvenienced by the wretched poor. Like the heartless Ebenezer Scrooge he may
have even wished the poor would “Die and reduce the surplus population!”
So the overall theme of our readings this Sunday is both about
warning and about mercy. Now, we may
somewhat be in shock over the stark lesson portrayed here which may exactly be
Jesus’ intention. Maybe we gasp trying
to imagine such blatant complacency towards human suffering. We might see the
Pharisees either with disgust or embarrassment on their faces as they squirmed
in their privileged position. Sometimes,
the truth makes us uncomfortable yet that becomes the agent of change.
While there are many among us, myself included, who have given
some cash to those begging along the freeway ramps or city intersections, I
think Jesus lesson is more significant.
Both the rich man and Lazarus are symbols of deeper social inequality
and indifference. The solution to
poverty and human suffering in the world is truly complex. Yet, our overall attitude is perhaps where we
begin.
In fact we may even wonder if my small part really makes a
significant difference. Can we change
the world and eliminate poverty and hunger? - Probably not. But we can certainly
live a more compassionate and generous life.
The rich man wanted to send Lazarus as a warning to his
brothers who were apparently living the life of leisure as well. Abraham’s
comment that both Moses and the prophets have warned the ancients of their indifference
to the suffering poor and that even someone from the dead (the risen Christ)
would not change their hearts is disturbing.
We too have been given the call to mercy from Jesus. We’ve been reminded about the abundant love
that moved the Father to send his Son to us.
We well know that we have many opportunities to assist and do our part
in sharing a portion of our comfort with the uncomfortable.
So in these readings, as they always do when Jesus speaks of
great inequality and injustice between humanity, we are invited to see things
as God does. The rich man was not
punished because he was rich. It was his
greed and indifference to the suffering that caused the eternal chasm between
him and Lazarus. There is a special place for the poor and helpless in the
heart of God and so there must be among ourselves as well. Pope Francis reminds
us that no one escapes the responsibility to make a place for the poor at our
tables.
Compassion, mercy, selflessness, humility, generosity, and
charity that promote human dignity are not some kind of new age social justice
virtues. They are deeply rooted values we see enfleshed in the earthly life of
Jesus and they become our way to ultimate salvation.
“My child, remember that you received what was good during your
lifetime . . .” Who is outside my door?
For you have given us Jesus Christ, your Son,
as our Lord and Redeemer.
. . . he always showed compassion
for children and for the poor,
for the sick and for sinners,
and he became a neighbor
to the oppressed and the afflicted.
(Preface: Eucharistic Prayer for
use in Masses for various needs, IV)
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