The Rich Man and Lazarus
From now on, whenever and for as long I can, I'll be posting the Gospel reading every Sunday, as well as the reflection excerpt from 365 Days with the Lord. I believe as a Catholic and a Christian, it is my duty to evangelize and be witness to God’s word, and to help make Christ known, revealing how much He loves us, imperfect as we are.
September 30, 2007 / 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
Lk 16:19-31
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
[Jesus said to the Pharisees,] “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said. ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Reflection (Taken from 365 Days with the Lord): We Are Our Brother’s Keeper
Today’s gospel reading features the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Ironically, Jesus has given a name to the poor man but none to the rich man. We usually do the opposite. In society columns we carefully note the names of all the rich people who have attended Mrs. So-and-so’s reception, but would never dream of giving the names of the waiters or the musicians performing in the background. These do not count.
The problem with the rich man- traditionally called Dives, which means “rich” in Latin – was not that he was rich, nor that he acquired his wealth by dishonest means, nor that he was rude or cruel towards Lazarus. The problem with Dives was that he simply chose to ignore Lazarus. Yet, he knew Lazarus’ existence since, once he finds himself in a place of torment, he recognizes him and calls him by name. Consequently, Dives was perfectly aware of Lazarus’ miserable condition. Everyday from the front terrace of his great mansion, he could spot him at his gate. But Dives just didn’t care. He had his fine clothes and his sumptuous banquets on a daily basis. That occupied all his attention. Obviously, if questioned about the fate of Lazarus, he would have responded with Cain’s retort” “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Well, the rest of the parable, with its complete reversal of fate in the afterlife, conveys quite clearly how Jesus would answer the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He would answer it with a resounding YES! Dives was indeed his brother’s keeper, but he refused to act like one.
It is easy to misunderstand this parable and to interpret it as a message of consolation for the poor: you are poor in this life, but one day all that will change with death. However, the story is not addressed to the poor. It is addressed as a warning to the rich. The proof of this is that Lazarus is a shadowy figure in the story and does not say a single word. Dives is the only character speaking, along with Abraham. Now, as in all parables, the ending or the “punch line” is the most important part of the story. Here the ending is entirely taken up by the dialogue between Dives and Abraham, and the lesson of the parable is contained in that dialogue. It warns the rich that their selfishness will be their doom if they refuse conversion.
This parable has two main applications for us, one on the individual level and the other on the social level.
On the individual level, we may not be economically rich but we are all rich in something: intelligence, health, looks, education, career, friends, and so on. Everyday we come across people who are far less rich than we are in one of these aspects. Let us be aware that we all have plenty of Lazaruses at our gates…
On the social level, we are now noticing this worldwide phenomenon that in every country in the world the gap between the rich and poor is getting worse year by year: the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. If we are our brothers’ keepers, we cannot accept so great a disparity between brothers and brothers, rich and poor. Apart from being against the will of God, it sows the seed of social unrest, violent conflicts and international terrorism.
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It is not enough that we keep our hearts clean by refraining from evil; we must fill it with love by exercising our right, our duty to do good in this world, for that is the way Christ taught us.
