THE TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Amos 6:1, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31)
The parable we have just heard is well known, but not always
well understood. The rich man is not punished for being wealthy, nor is
Lazarus, the beggar, rewarded simply for being poor. Rather, Lazarus, like some
poor people both in biblical times and today, presumably kept his faith in God,
asking for His mercy and helping others.
It is his faithfulness that makes him a recipient of God’s glory.
A traveler recently experienced the kindness of the poor
when he tried to cross a flooded road. His car filled with water and stalled.
The man wanted to push the car to safety but could not do it alone. A group of adolescents
came to his rescue. They went into the water and pushed the car to higher
ground. When the man tried to give them some money for their efforts, the young
men refused the payment. It is not known whether they attended Mass—possibly
not, due to social circumstances. Even so, it is possible that God will forgive
them for their kindness toward strangers.
Nor is it unheard of for a rich person to help others. Two
years ago, a billionaire died after giving away almost all his fortune for the
good of others. There are many other affluent people who have pledged to give a
major part of their wealth for the benefit of others, although they are by no
means the majority. The offense of the rich man in the parable is not his
wealth, but his indifference toward the invalid begging at his gate. He passed
him by every day without offering even a crust of bread, much less money for
lunch.
Another striking aspect of the parable is the request of the
rich man when he is suffering in the place of torment. He asks Abraham, who
represents God, to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them not to be as
neglectful of the poor as he was. To his credit, he does think of others’
welfare and not only of his own misery. But it is already too late. He should
have thought of others while he was alive. Moreover, he thinks only of his
brothers, not of strangers.
The rich man believes his brothers would repent if a dead
person appeared to them. But Jesus says they would hardly change their ways,
even if they saw someone risen from the dead. He is right for three reasons.
First, they have already been given the Scriptures with the same message, but
without positive result. Second, the Jews in general rejected the preaching of
the apostolic witnesses to Jesus' resurrection. The rich man's brothers, who
are evidently Jews, are not likely to accept the testimony of their own sight
of a person risen from the dead. Finally, the natural person is not satisfied
with one or two signs, or even a dozen, to believe in the supernatural. He or
she will always ask for another. What is needed to accept God's revelation is neither
proof nor argument, but faith.
The Letter to the Hebrews describes faith as “the assurance
of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11). These
realities include not only that God created men and women, but also that He
will judge them. We believe that, in the end, God will direct each of us either
to eternal life or, as today’s gospel says, to “the nether world” of torment.
The criteria for judgment will be the norms of justice established in nature
and in the Scriptures, especially those revealed by God’s definitive Word,
Jesus Christ. If we are to fulfill our Christian destiny, we must feed the
hungry, give drink to the thirst, and visit the imprisoned and the sick. If we do not render these services in life,
the Lord promises that we will be disillusioned in death.
