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 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. As Pope St. Paul VI once wrote,
wealth entails a “social mortgage.” The rich
must share some of their resources so that the needy not forfeit 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 the beneficence received. Even highly regarded charities have sometimes
misused contributions. But we must not
allow these concerns to trump God’s call to generosity. Prudence indicates to whom and how much to
give. Failure to comply with its
dictates may place our heart more on the side of corruption.
