Lazarus and the Rich Man: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

The rich man and Lazarus, a poor man, and worse

I think I preach about this parable from Jesus each time it appears in our three year cycle, because I am really preaching about myself

1.    "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.”

·      Rich clothes, rich food each day

·      Lazarus, not just poor, but covered with sores who wanted not rich food, but food, and not only “normal food” but “the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table”

§  “Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.”

·      Let’s pause on that itself

2.    They both died and there was a flip flop, which was amazing for Lazarus with Abraham, and the rich man tormented and in saw, in some odd way, to see Abraham and Lazarus

3.    Then the rich man called for help, but sadly, after he made decisions in life, those are finished when we die

·      He did not help Lazarus…he did not support the poor during this parable

·      And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. 
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.”

4.    And, Jesus taught about the chasm from heaven and hell

·      Today, many people do not believe in hell, or Satan, and that is one of the best ways that evil spirits are not existed in many minds

5.    The chilling end of this parable about how the rich man was now begging for his own brothers and the response from Abraham was:

·      “But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'  He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'  Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

So two thoughts for you and me today

·      How do we serve the Lazarus’s in our lives?

·      If we are “rich,” how do we use our treasure for our neighbors, parish, school and beyond because our treasure is better in the bank of heaven rather than our riches that will stay on earth after we pass away