Thursday of the
Second Week of Lent
(Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31)
It is not that the rich man mistreats Lazarus. He doesn’t kick him or yell at him. Nor can it be said that the rich man ignores
Lazarus, at least deliberately. He doesn’t
use the back door to avoid seeing Lazarus or turn his head when he walked by
the beggar. The rich man just doesn’t
see Lazarus sitting there in need. He
probably is too busy. The Scripture does
not say what he is doing. It does say
that he dresses luxuriously and eats sumptuously. It may be supposed then that he is lost in
thought about what he is to eat that evening or wear the next day.
Unfortunately, in modern society there are many ways to
avoid encounters with the poor. Gated communities keep unwanted people away. By driving on expressways one can bypass inner-city
slums where poor people often live. In this
age of consumption people can also spend all of their disposable income on one gadget
or apparel after another. They do not have
any money left to help those in need.
Jesus warns us today that the fate of such people is doom. He says that not even the hope of the resurrection
will make them see their neighbors in need.
If we are to profit by his example, we must ask ourselves what we are
doing for others. If the others are only
those who can help us in return, we must look again. Jesus wants us to wake up to those in need.
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