Luke 16: 19-31
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092825.cfm
O God, who manifest your
almighty power above all by pardoning
and showing mercy,
bestow your grace abundantly upon us
and make those hastening to attain your promises
heirs to the treasures of heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I recall a while back in the summer before my ordination that was to take place that August, the Pastor happened to not be at the Parish I was staying in on a warm, rather quiet afternoon. I heard the familiar doorbell so 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 this would be a good thing for a Deacon to do so I offered to take her there; just the two of us alone in the car! It was a sunny summer day, no problem with travel on the interstate so I thought, why not? Well, I was naive, not at all prudent but at least well intentioned.
Along the way everything was fine, nothing happened and 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. Mind you, this was in
the day before cell phones. I told him what I had done, and he quickly stated
to me, like a father to a son, that I was not very smart about what I did. He warned me about the potential danger then
simply said: “Don’t you ever do that again.” Considering the events of the last several years, and the fear of scandal, I would never take that chance again - unfortunately. After a quick reflection I could not disagree with the pastor and quickly “wised up” and
never did such a thing again or since; nonetheless there is a lesson here. Not
about giving rides to strangers but more about the dangers of indifference and
the divine command for compassion and mercy.
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 Lazarus. The fact that the rich man is not named but the
poor man is identified, 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 but did nothing to alleviate his suffering. He has no name in the story so does he
represent all of humanity itself?
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 lifestyle 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 in the “bosom of Abraham” (paradise)
a sign of privileged position at a banquet table. Tables turned, the wealthy man
now begs for relief in a place of torment, (hell) “separated by a vast chasm
between himself, Abraham, and the now “wealthy” and comfortable Lazarus.
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 another of the wretched
poor. Like the heartless Ebenezer
Scrooge he may have even wished the poor would “Die and reduce the surplus
population!”
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 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, me 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. It may not change the
world or eliminate poverty, but it does change the world for Lazarus.
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 us as well. The late Pope Francis
reminded 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. Feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, etc. This is what the rich man could have done but
simply choose a more selfish self-centred
way of life.
“My child, remember that you received what was good
during your lifetime . . ."
No comments:
Post a Comment