TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "C"

                                            TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY OF YEAR "C

 (Luke 16, 19 – 21)    

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus ("God helps") is actually an old Egyptian story adapted by the sacred writer. It seems to be the usually "rich man poor man" story. Yes, there are the usual elements: the rich man dressed in purple, wining and dining. The poor man dressed in his sores, starving. The usual ending of the story, which is out of this world, i.e. heaven and hell. The rich man goes to hell, and the poor man goes straight to heaven. The lesson is that riches lead to hell, and poverty leads to heaven. Luke’s gospel was addressed to non-Jewish converts who were very poor, and unsympathetic towards the rich. So they were consoled to hear that when they died they would go to heaven. So, let us all be poor and covered with sores. And if there are dogs to lick them then I suppose our chances are better.

I don't see why it should be that way. We are not told what the poor man did to merit heaven. We are not told that he blessed and thanked God in his misery and for that poverty. Whether he bestirred himself and did something to liberate himself from his misery. He could well have become poor due to laziness and lack of work, which is happening today.

Nor are we told that the rich man exploited or oppressed the poor man.

In fact, there was no need for the poor man to have entered the story at all - the rich man could have gone to hell just the same.

The Gospel does not intend to teach a social lesson, at least not primarily. It wants to tell us that there have been some seriously wrong choices, some very serious neglect. Neglect can happen on three levels: a) The love of God, the prophets and church teaching.

b) Neglect of self - the mystery in our lives.

c) Neighbour - especially those in need.

In the second part of the parable the chief interest is concentrated on the fate of the five brothers. These brothers were not converted by the threat of the Day of Yahweh, the coming of the Lord. The rich man and his brothers were not concerned with the Day of Yahweh as they were with this world and their possessions. The poor, on the other hand, were open, and consequently the Kingdom was more accessible to them.

No longer is there question of wealth and poverty, but of irreligion and selfishness on the part of people who are unable to read the signs of God. For them, death is the end (v. 28); they will not even be convinced by the resurrection of the body, because they are not accustomed to see in their own lives the signs of survival. The search for signs is a pretext only. Man is saved by hearing the Word (Moses, the prophets, and Jesus) and by vigilance, not by apparitions and miracles.

Finally, this parable proclaims the reversal of situations, the rich becoming poor and vice versa. It voices the revolt of so many human beings against mistreatment and indignity: the poor crushed by the rich, the poor man persecuted by the wicked.

Jesus himself endured mistreatment. He was taken for a malefactor, simply because this would more convenient for certain people: “it s expedient that one man die for the nation…” Jn 11, 50). He made the cross the great testimony of love, and thus his revolt against indignity became supremely efficacious. It gave human the hope of a future where selfishness and hostility would have to make way for dignity and love. His disciples could only build that future by continuing their turn the great movement of revolt by the poor.

PRAYER: by Alan Paton (1903 – 1988), novelist who wrote the beautiful book, Cry, the Beloved Country.

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the need of others, open my ears that I may hear their cries, open my heart so that they need not be without help. Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, not afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich. Show me where love and hope and faith are needed, and use me to bring them to these places. Open my eyes and ears that I may, this coming day, be able to do some work of peace for thee. Amen.