Lazarus Was Carried to Abraham's Bosom
Introduction: May you consciously and pro-actively pursue those virtues and actions that bring GOD’s loving presence into the lives of others.
We all can do more than we are currently doing as far as living out our lives as disciples of the Master-Teacher. We have not yet reached the perfection of our lives as Christians. The Lord Jesus is not yet finished working on us and through us. Thus, we must probe and examine our lives and see how we might become better witnesses to the Good News, especially by what we say and do for those who most need our help.
Wealth and poverty could be the focus of today’s readings, but so could the attitude one has towards possessions or the lack thereof. Amos condemns the complacency of the rich of his day who seek only fine things for themselves at the cost of others. The Responsorial reminds us that GOD cares for the lowly, the poor, and the suffering. In the Second Reading, Paul encourages his protégé, Timothy, to pursue the virtuous life. Jesus, in the Gospel, relates the parable of the rich man who fails to even meet the basic needs of poor Lazarus, and then realizes, all too late, that Lazarus enjoys eternal riches while he suffers eternal want because of the attitudes each had on earth and their actions resulting from their attitudes.
First Reading; Amos 6:1a, 4-7: ‘The revelry of those who now stretch themselves out shall pass away.’
Commentary: ‘Alas for those who lounge in front of the telly, munching their crisps and slurping their lager. Alas for those who zoom the streets, singing raucously along with their blaring radios.’ Is Amos simply a middle-aged spoil-sport, castigating the evils of his time? The real question is whether they manoeuvre themselves off the couch for the sake of the needy person at the door, whether they spring out of the car to help the blind person across the road. Following that, what is our society coming to, what can I do to help remedy the fundamental ills of our society, whatever I conceive them to be? What can I, helpless and half-hearted as I am, do to build on the ruins? How far can Jesus push me? One thing is sure, it is always one step further than my comfort-zone. The Lord may not want me to go and be a Charles de Foucauld, a Romero, a Mother Teresa, but he always wants me to go one step nearer, whatever my state of life, one step at a time out of my comfort-zone in response to his challenge. I can never say I have done all I need to do.
Responsorial Psalm146: 7. 8-9a. 9b-10; My soul, give
praise to the LORD.
The Responsorial emphasizes that GOD takes a liking to the poor and the lowly, even though the world despises them. GOD is the champion of rejected and suffering individuals. The LORD sees into the hearts of individuals and raises up those who are bowed down (the Anawim).
Second Reading, 1 Timothy 6:11-16: Keep the commandment until the appearing of our Lord.’
Commentary: The letters to Timothy contain several little hymns of praise to Christ. After his final exhortation to Timothy to perseverance and to witness, the author gives this concluding doxology as an inspiration for his (and our) devotion to Christ, enumerating seven titles of Christ’s pre-eminence. In this egalitarian world, where TV has almost abolished the mystique of royalty, the first three titles of royalty (Sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords) may not move us too much. But who would be absent themselves if even a ‘minor royal’ was coming on a visit to office or factory, let alone the Lord of all Lords? The other awesome titles cannot fail to draw us. He possesses as his own the immortality for which we crave. He dwells in the sphere of faultless light which we cannot even envisage, let alone enter. He is beyond our sight, our comprehension, even our imagination. His are power and honour without end. We can only be amazed at how far he is beyond us, and yet that he walked beside the Lake of Galilee with his chosen friends and allowed himself to be humiliated before his exaltation.
Gospel, Luke 16:19-31: ‘You received good things, and Lazarus bad things; now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.’
Commentary: This story of Jesus comes only in Luke, another of those dreadful warnings of the danger of wealth, for Luke gives us always the Gospel to the poor: contrast the welcome given to Jesus by the shepherds and the fabulously wealthy King Herod! Luke shows us those who blithely turn down their invitation to the banquet of the Kingdom in order to try out their new holiday cottage, their latest Porsche or the re-fitted yacht. Through the Crafty Steward he reminds us that those who want to make money are often sharper than those who want to make the Kingdom. Through the Rich Fool he reminds us that well-stocked barns are no remedy against death. For me there are three particularly horrible features of today’s parable: firstly, the flea-ridden dogs licking Lazarus’ sores: there are no pets in Palestine; dogs are either bristling guard-dogs or mangy curs. Secondly, the Rich Man’s continuing self-absorption: even after death he still does not recognise Lazarus’ existence and thinks only of his own burning tongue; contrast Abraham’s gentleness: it almost looks as though he would cross the chasm if he could. Thirdly, the obdurate brothers; they are just not willing to listen, even to the most startling event; nothing will distract them from their own selfish pre-occupations.
Reflection: What most absorbs your time, your attention, and your heart? In the parable of the rich man who refused to help the beggar named Lazarus Jesus paints a dramatic scene of contrasts - riches and poverty, heaven and hell, compassion and indifference, inclusion and exclusion. We also see an abrupt and dramatic reversal of fortune. Lazarus was not only poor and a beggar, he was also sick and unable to fend for himself. He was "laid" at the gates of the rich man's house. The dogs which licked his sores probably also stole the little bread he got for himself. Dogs in the ancient world symbolized contempt. Enduring the torment of these savage dogs only added to the poor man's miseries and sufferings.
The rich man treated the beggar with contempt and indifference, until he found his fortunes reversed at the end of his life! In God's economy, those who hold on possessively to what they have, lose it all in the end, while those who share generously receive back many times more than they gave away.
Hope in God and his merciful help: The name Lazarus means God is my help. Despite a life of misfortune and suffering, Lazarus did not lose hope in God. His eyes were set on a treasure stored up for him in heaven. The rich man, however, could not see beyond his material wealth and possessions. He not only had every thing he needed, he selfishly spent all he had on himself. He was too absorbed in what he possessed to notice the needs of those around him. He lost sight of God and the treasure of heaven because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things. He served wealth rather than God. In the end the rich man became a beggar!
Do you know the joy and freedom of possessing God as your true and lasting treasure? Those who put their hope and security in the kingdom of heaven will not be disappointed (see Hebrews 6:19).
Lord Jesus, you are my joy and my treasure. Make me rich in the things of your heavenly kingdom and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others the spiritual and material treasures you have given to me.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Creator of both rich and poor, by Augustine of Hippo, 3540-430 A.D.
"God made both the rich and the poor. So the rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk on the way together. Do not oppress or defraud anyone. One may be needy and another may have plenty. But the Lord is the maker of them both. Through the person who has, He helps the one who needs - and through the person who does not have, He tests the one who has." (excerpt from Sermon 35, 7)
The Gulf War: “Between you and us there is fixed a great abyss, so that those who might wish to cross from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross from your side to us.” —Luke 16:26.
The rich man, traditionally known as Dives, spent eternity staring across a great chasm separating himself from the Lord (Lk 16:26). How ironic! Dives spent his lifetime constructing this chasm (or gulf) to isolate himself from the poor. Now this gulf, built day by day during his life, could not be undone in eternity.
In our country, many gulfs have been built to isolate the not-so-poor from the poor. We have suburbs, which the poor can’t reach because of distance and low income. We have expensive colleges and professional training, which often serve to exclude those without sufficient income. The high cost of medical insurance often excludes the poor from the treatment they need.
This is not meant so much to criticize those who enjoy these things as it is to make the point that those who have a gulf between themselves and the poor must work harder than ever to bridge that gulf. Charity obliges those with a sufficiency to share with those without (see 2 Cor 8:14). “Woe to the complacent” who do not reach out to the Lazaruses in their midst (Am 6:1).
King Jesus will judge us on our outreach to the poor (Mt 25:35ff). All Christians are to “be mindful of the poor” (Gal 2:10) and even have “a preferential love” for the poor (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2448). Reach out to the poor. Bridge the gulf now, before you have to stare across it forever.
Prayer: Jesus, You made Yourself poor for My sake (2 Cor
8:9). Give me Your heart, mind, love, and ministry to the poor. “Happy he
[...who] secures justice for the oppressed, [and] gives food to the hungry.”
—Ps 146:5, 7. Praise Jesus, Who is meek and humble of heart, yet Lord of the
universe and Ruler of all creation. Alleluia!
The personal action for today: In what ways have I been blinded by complacency? How have I pursued the virtues that would be a sign of my living out my call as a disciple of the Lord Jesus? Who is the most needy person(s) in my life today and how can I tend to his/her/their needs?
*Saint Wenceslaus: If saints have been falsely characterized as “other worldly,” the life of Wenceslaus stands as an example to the contrary: He stood for Christian values in the midst of the political intrigues which characterized 10th-century Bohemia.
Saint Wenceslaus was born in 907 near Prague, son of the Duke of Bohemia. His saintly grandmother, Ludmilla, raised him and sought to promote him as ruler of Bohemia in place of his mother, who favored the anti-Christian factions. Ludmilla was eventually murdered, but rival Christian forces enabled Wenceslaus to assume leadership of the government.
His rule was marked by efforts toward unification within Bohemia, support of the Church, and peace-making negotiations with Germany, a policy which caused him trouble with the anti-Christian opposition. His brother Boleslav joined in the plotting, and in September of 929 invited Wenceslaus to Alt Bunglou for the celebration of the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian. On the way to Mass, Boleslav attacked his brother, and in the struggle, Wenceslaus was killed by supporters of Boleslav.
Although Saint Wenceslaus’ death resulted primarily from political upheaval, Wenceslaus was hailed as a martyr for the faith, and his tomb became a pilgrimage shrine. He is hailed as the patron of the Bohemian people and of the former Czechoslovakia.
“Good King Wenceslaus” was able to incarnate his
Christianity in a world filled with political unrest. While we are often
victims of violence of a different sort, we can easily identify with his
struggle to bring harmony to society. The call to become involved in social
change and in political activity is addressed to Christians; the values of the
gospel are sorely needed today.
