26th Sunday - Lazarus - Poor on Earth & Rich in Heaven
The story is told of a Franciscan monk in Australia assigned to be the guide and helper to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, he never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet. Finally, her tour was over, and she was due to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the Franciscan friar spoke to Mother Teresa: “If I pay my own fare, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk to you and learn from you?” Mother Teresa looked at him and asked, “Do You have enough money to pay the air- fare?” “Yes,” he replied. “Then give that money to the poor,” she said. “You will learn more from that, than anything I can tell you.” Mother Teresa understood that Jesus’ ministry was to the poor, and she made it hers as well.
The main theme of this Sunday’s readings is the warning that the selfish and lavish use of God’s blessings, like wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment. Today’s readings stress the Covenant responsibility of the rich for the poor, reminding us of the truth that wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness. It warns us against making money the goal of our existence.
Amos, in the first reading, issues a powerful warning to those who seek wealth at the expense of the poor and who spend their time and their money on themselves alone. He prophesies that those rich and self-indulgent people will be punished by God with exile because they don’t care for their poor and suffering brothers. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 146) praises God, who cares for the poor. In the second reading, St. Paul invites us to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness”, rather than riches. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a warning, pointing to the destiny of the rich man who neglected his duty to show mercy to poor Lazarus. The rich man was punished, not for having riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures and what they taught on sharing his blessings with the poor.
Life messages for us today are;1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others. God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many blessings. The parable invites us to share what we have been given with others in various ways instead of using for selfish gains. 2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment. Matthew (25:31) tells us that all six questions to be asked of each one of us by Jesus when He comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have shared our blessings from him (food, drink, home, mercy and compassion), with our brothers and sisters, anyone in need, for Jesus identifies himself with each of them. 3) Our choices here determine the kind of eternity we will have. It has been put this way: “Where we go hereafter depends on what we ‘go after,’ here!” Where we will arrive depends on what road we travel. We will get what we choose, what we live for.
The parish church was badly in need of repair. So the pastor called a special meeting inside the Church to raise funds. At the assembly the pastor explained the need of an emergency fund for plastering the roof and supporting pillars and the other areas which needed repair. He invited pledge of contributions. After a brief pause Mr. Murphy, the richest man in the parish, said, he would give 50 dollars. Just as he sat down, a hunk of plaster from the ceiling fell on his head. He jumped up looking terribly and corrected himself: “I meant to say 500 dollars.” The congregation stood silent and stunned. Then a faint voice cried out: “Oh Lord, hit him again!”