OT XXVI [C]:
Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1Tm 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31
September
27th is the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul. In the 16th century France, Saint
Vincent de Paul observed the disparity between the rich and the poor. As a
priest, he had the opportunity to experience the aristocratic life as well as
the life of the destitute poor in Paris. He organized groups of women called
Charities who gave their time and belongings to the poor. Some of these women
chose the consecrated life and became the first female congregation to live a
consecrated life “in the world,” and not in the cloister. Saint Vincent de Paul
and Saint Louise de Marillac founded this congregation, named the “Daughters of
Charity.” Our first U.S.-born saint, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, founded
the U.S. branch of the Daughters of Charity. Two centuries after Saint Vincent
de Paul, a 20-year old college student, Frederick Ozanam, and five other
students, witnessed the dire poverty of the lower social classes in Paris. They
decided to dedicate themselves to the poor, after the example of Saint Vincent de
Paul. In 1833, they established “The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.”
They were determined to bring not only bread but friendship to the poor. They
would not ignore the Lazaruses at their door in 19th century Paris. 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.
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 only on
themselves. 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 sin of
the rich man in the gospel parable was that he never noticed Lazarus
who represents a fact of life: the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate who are
always around us. He did no wrong, but he did nothing. In the Catholic
teaching, that is the sin of omission (not doing what one is supposed to do).
Jesus told
this parable to condemn the Pharisees for their love of money and lack of mercy
for the poor. He also used the parable to correct three Jewish misconceptions
held and taught by the Sadducees: 1) Material prosperity in this life is God’s
reward for moral uprightness, while poverty and illness are God’s punishment
for sins. Hence, there is no need to help the poor and the sick for they have
been cursed by God. 2) Since wealth is a sign of God’s blessing, the best way
of thanking God is to enjoy it by leading a life of luxury and self-indulgence
in dress, eating and drinking, of course, after giving God His portion as
tithe. 3) The parable also addresses the false doctrine of the Sadducees denial
of the soul’s survival after death. Jesus challenges these misconceptions
through the parable and condemns the rich who ignore the poor they encounter.
The problem
of the rich man was that he was insensitive to the needs of his fellow men. Insensitivity is
infectious, a disease that is spreading fast not just in
wider society but also much closer to home. All sadly traits of
a modern day society are manifested when we find ourselves
consumed by social media, our own personal egos, selfishness and lack of
willingness to stand up and do the right thing.
But there
are also people who proved that their little actions can impact the world.
After
needing 13 litres of blood for a surgery at the age of 13, a man named James
Harrison pledged to donate blood once he turned 18. It was discovered that his
blood contained a rare antigen which cured Rhesus disease. He has donated blood
a record 1000 times and saved 2000000 lives.
For the past
ten years, Luis Soriano, a teacher in the small town of La Gloria, Colombia,
has created a mobile library with the help of his donkeys. He then travels
through the fields to the villages beyond where children await his visits
impatiently. He firmly believes that bringing books to people who
don't have access to them can improve the country and open up
possibilities for the future generation.
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. We need to remember that sharing is the
criterion of the Last Judgment: Matthew (25:31ff), 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), in our brothers and sisters, anyone in need.’ 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!”
While
enjoying these blessings, we should not be insensitive to the needs of less
fortunate. Our little acts of kindness can bring smiles to the life of
many. And they will be our advocates to plead for us. When the rich
man reached his destiny Lazarus was there but there was nothing for
Lazarus to plead for him. Let us try to do whatever little is possible for us
to alleviate the sufferings of people around us. Not a single act will go
waste. Everything will be account for in our favour.
