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Amos 6: 1a, 4-7 + Psalm 146 + 1 Timothy 6: 11-16 + Luke 16: 19-31
At the end of last Sunday’s parable in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus warned his followers
that one cannot serve both God and mammon (Lk 16:13).
Immediately after that statement, the evangelist Luke states:
“The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things, and sneered at him.” (16:14).
So, to the Pharisees, Jesus addresses this parable of the great reversal,
the parable of the Rich Man and the poor beggar, Lazarus.
The consequences are clearly spelled out for ignoring the cry of the poor
at one’s very own door.
Note that Jesus does not condemn the rich man for his wealth, but because
he does not share anything of his abundance, not even a scrap of food, with Lazarus.
There are eternal consequences to this kind of blindness,
to not seeing the poor at one’s door.
This blindness results from not listening to Moses and the prophets.
“Moses” is a code word for the first 5 books of the Bible, the Torah.
A golden thread woven throughout these first 5 books is the command to care
for “the widow, the orphan, and the stranger in the land” (often translated as “alien”).
Over and over again, the living word of God spoken through the Torah
reminds the people of God of their responsibility to care for the most vulnerable ones
in their land, the poor at their door.
The psalmist sings today about this very command, that “… the Lord protects strangers. The fatherless and the widow he sustains.” (Psalm 146:9)
The Scriptures are clear, the Lord reaches out to help those in great need
through the hands and hearts of others.
The prophets constantly challenge the people of Israel to care for the poor at their door. The prophet Amos last Sunday and today speaks about God’s displeasure with
the rich who are cheating the poor and do not care about the plight of the poor, and that they will suffer judgment for the bad they have done and the good they have failed to do.
Listening to the saving word of God given to us through Moses and the prophets
opens our eyes to the needs of those suffering all around us.
Paying careful attention to what the Word Made Flesh, Jesus, is teaching
brings a special kind of awareness of him suffering in his broken body all around us.
If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that there is
a little bit of the Pharisee in each one of us.
That we are all blind each in our own way to the poor at our door.
Like the religious Pharisee, we may follow the rules and justify ourselves by thinking
we have done nothing wrong without asking what we could have done right.
Jesus opens our eyes to see that following him is much, much more
than simply “not doing the wrong,” but rather doing the good he calls us to do.
We might not have lots of money and tons of stuff to blind us to the needs of others,
but we might be blinded by our day-to-day responsibilities
so that the desperate needs of others hardly figure into our thoughts.
Or fear or self-concern might be what blinds us to the needs of others.
Whatever causes us to be unaware of the crushing needs of others, we ask
the Lord Jesus to remove that obstacle which blinds us to his presence in the poor.
Aware is the disciple of Jesus to Jesus’ presence in the poor at our door.
Awareness is yet one more quality we disciples are called to cultivate
in this school of discipleship on the journey to Jerusalem with Jesus.
If we are alert and aware, we would have noticed that the Gospel acclamation for last Sunday and today has been the same acclamation.
In these two Gospel passages from Luke,
where Jesus warns us of the danger of riches to blind us to needs of others,
there has been the same Gospel acclamation preceding each Gospel:
“Though our Lord Jesus was rich, he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (cf 2 Corinthians 8:9)
The “poor Christ” is given to us as a gift so that we might enjoy the riches of salvation.
The poor are given to us as a gift to draw us out of ourselves that we might be aware
of the presence of Christ longing for our care and compassion in those who suffer.
What would happen if we invited the poor at our door to dine with us?
How would our hearts and lives be transformed by sharing a meal
with the Lazarus’ in our lives? (cf Luke 14: 12-14)
Think how the life of the rich man in the parable would have changed
if he would have invited Lazarus to share daily in the bounty of his table.
The rich man, who is portrayed in this parable as being all alone, cut off from others, would have his loneliness healed and his heart fed by the companionship of another.
The poor man, Lazarus, would not only have his physical need for food met,
but he also would no longer have to hunger for connection with another,
he would not be alone in his poverty, in his need.
Blessed Stanley Rother used to invite one of most destitute men in his parish community to dine with him at the rectory.
Every day at lunch this man was invited to come to the rectory and eat with Fr. Rother and whoever else might be invited to share in the table of this holy priest.
Some people who came to lunch would complain to Fr. Rother about how the poor man dressed or his lack of sanitary skills, but Fr. Rother would not be deterred.
He knew that feeding this poor man not only with the food from his table
but also by the gift of his heart in friendship was his, Fr. Rother’s, way to salvation.
Fr. Rother understood the Gospel teaching, he was aware as a disciple,
that the poor were a great gift to him and necessary for his salvation.
Are we aware that the gifts of God’s love and mercy are given to us
to be shared with others?
Are we aware as followers of the One who is the Bread of Life that we feast with Him and on His love and life in order to become living bread for a hungry world?
We eat and drink with the poor Christ and of the poor Christ that we might become rich in divine life and our hearts might become more like his:
broken open in love at the sight of our suffering sisters and brothers,
poured out in love to ease their hunger and salve their pain.Fr. Joseph A. Jacobi