A PARABLE FOR OUR WORLD: THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. YEAR C.
September 30, 2007.
(first Reading: Amos 6:1, 4-7) (Psalm 146: 7-10)
(Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16) (Gospel Reading: Luke 16:19-31)

A PARABLE FOR OUR WORLD:
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a strikingly accurate depiction of our world today, a world where there are some people who live in scandalous wealth while countless others live in abject poverty, a poverty that is becoming ever more intensive, moving from "plain" poverty to "severe" poverty to "extreme" poverty. And in spite of its ever growing presence it still fails to awake the conscience of the rich man.

What causes the rich man to fail to acknowledge the poor's suffering?:
1. The self-gratification which the rich man receives from his wealth. The gospel reading points out: The rich man "dressed in purple garments and fine linen dined sumptuously each day" (Luke 16:19). His "good" life rendered him unwilling to acknowledge the needs of the one who was in misfortune. His wealth numbed his sensitivity toward the needs of other human beings.

2. The indifference which sets in the rich man as a result of his insensitivity. His indifference consists in the total disregard for the suffering of someone who is right next to him, of someone he knows. The gospel says: Lazarus "was at his [the rich man's] door" (Luke 16:20). The rich man just didn't care. The rich man had lost his sense of belonging to the human family, or, even worse, in his eyes, Lazarus was not a human being.

3. The false expectation that he could enjoy his wealth for ever. In other words, the enjoyment the rich man received from his wealth prevented him from coming to grips with his own mortality, with the temporality of his life. The gospel points out that "each day" the rich man dressed superbly and dined sumptuously; but apparently the rich man was not aware of the passing of his days, he thought his "good" life, his "good" days would never end.

The failure of the rich man to notice and address the needs of the poor occurs again in our world whenever:
- The rich man who enjoys good medical care fails to notice and address the needs of those who do not have access to medical care.

- The rich man who enjoys housing fails to notice and address the needs of those who lack adequate housing.

- The rich man who enjoys opportunities for improvement fails to notice and address the needs of those who are deprived of such opportunities.

- The rich man who enjoys privileges and power fails to notice and address the needs of those who suffer destitution and oppression.

The above are just a few examples of the presence of the rich man in our world.

The sin (or, better said, the crime) of the rich man consists of two elements:
1) his indifference toward the suffering of other human beings and,

2) his inability to utilize his wealth to meet the needs of other human beings.

By his indifference, he rich man separates himself from the family of human beings, and by his inability to utilize his wealth to meet the needs of the poor he, the rich man, distorts the purpose for which material possessions exist, such purpose being the satisfaction of the needs of ALL human beings. Thus, the rich man assigns to himself the exclusive "right" to the use of the world's material goods.

The prophet Amos refers to the rich collectively(1), as a group when it says: "Woe to the complacent [those who feel secure in their riches] ... Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches... They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the fall of Joseph!(2) Therefore, now they shall be the first ones to go into exile and their wanton revelry shall be done away with" (Amos 6: 1, 4-7).

Today's scriptures describe the fate of the rich man and give advise as to how to avoid his fate:
- The gospel reading stresses the fact that while we live on earth it is Jesus himself who warns us of the disastrous consequence - the "place of torment" (Luke 16:28) - that awaits those who live like the rich man. Jesus is the One "sent by the Father" to tell us how to avoid ending up in that "place of torment". It is Jesus himself who has shown human beings the way of life that leads to eternal life. In other words, it is Jesus himself who has brought heaven to earth for those who listen to him, for those who live as children of God on earth, for those who live as members of the human family.

- Psalm 146 presents the works of the Lord which we are to imitate. It says: the Lord "is just to those who are oppressed... gives bread to the hungry... sets prisoners free... gives sight to the blind... raises up those who are bowed down... protects the stranger and upholds the widow and orphan." This is the way of life which brings us into unity with our fellow human beings and into unity with God. This is the way of life which Jesus himself leads in order to reveal to us how valuable we are in his eyes, in order to reveal to us how to avoid ending up in the "place of torment".

- Saint Paul in his First Letter to Timothy teaches us that the way to "lay hold of eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12) is by pursuing "righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11), which is precisely what the rich man failed to pursue.

As we struggle to bring the life of God into our world, it is of vital necessity to listen to what Jesus tells us in his Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
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Footnotes:
(1) In our complex economic world, the rich usually operate collectively, as a group, controlling large economic corporations, national and multinational.
(2) Amos uses the name "Joseph" to refer to the people of Israel and to emphasize that while the people were undergoing tragedies, the rich showed callous disregard for the people's sufferings. Both Amos and the gospel reading coincide in identifying the offense of the rich in a two fold dimension: The rich man fails to notice or care for the needy, and he gives material possessions a use other than that they are intended for. Inappropriate uses of material possessions are, for instance, self-indulgence (that is, the personal use of material possessions beyond what is necessary to fully satisfy one's human needs), destruction of other human beings (that is, the use of material possession for war).