Thursday of the Second Week in Lent
(Jeremiah 17:5-10;
Luke 16:19-31)
“The line between
good and evil,” the Russian novelist and humanitarian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn remarked,
“is not drawn between nations or parties, but through every human heart.” We can understand this truth as saying that
every one of us has a heart partly corrupted so that it awaits renewal. Executing that renewal is our Lenten
project. Similarly, every one has in
part a heart palpitating with generosity. Experiencing the growth of that vibrant sector
is a source of Easter rejoicing. In the
first reading the prophet Jeremiah laments a heart so rotten that it is beyond
remedy. In the gospel Jesus gives us an
example – the rich man who ignores the beggar at his door.
Certainly the rich
man is not punished just for having wealth.
That would be like criticizing a healthy person for not taking sick
leave. But wealth as well as health has attendant
obligations which Pope Paul VI once called a “social mortgage.” The rich must share some of their resources
so that the needy not lose their human dignity.
Jesus in this Gospel of Luke never tires reminding his disciples of this
responsibility.
Donating to the poor carries some risks. A beggar may squander our beneficence on
liquor, and even some highly regarded charities have misused contributions. But we must not allow these concerns to trump
God’s call to generosity. Prudence indicates
who deserves our offerings and how much is appropriate for us to give. Failure to comply with the dictates of
prudence may nudge our heart more to the side of corruption.
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