Sunday 29th September
2019. Read Amos 6:1-7, Psalm 148 1st Timothy 6:11-16 & Luke 16:19-31.
_“Alas for those who lie on beds of
ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves
from the stall… who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the
finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” *(Amos 6:4-6).*_
Last Sunday, we heard Jesus say to
us: “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when
it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.” (Luke 16:9) Jesus
went as far as using the story of a dishonest steward to teach us the need to
prepare for the day of judgment. Today, Jesus employs His powerful storytelling
technique again to deliver a message that has remained consistent Sunday after
Sunday. What is this message?
*1. Indifference is a Sin.*
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus
is very similar to the story of the Rich Fool whose lands yielded in abundance but
the difference is that while the latter ends with sudden death, the former tells
us how the rich man ended in hellfire after his death. The question arises: “Is
it a crime to be rich?” What exactly did the rich man do to deserve eternal
punishment?
Amos answers this question in today’s
first reading. Recall that last Sunday, we heard Amos speaking against social
injustice and inequality; how persons cheat others by changing the scales, how
they end up selling the poor for a pair for silver and the needy for a pair of
sandals. Today, Amos continues his lament; he describes the lavish lifestyle of
the super-rich who can afford the best of all that life could offer but “are
not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!”
The sin of the rich man in today’s
Gospel passage is not in how he made his money (Jesus did not specify) but
about his indifference to the poor and suffering. The rich man had enough money
to host parties daily and feast sumptuously. Lazarus was attracted to his gate
in the hope of feeding on the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table but
sadly, no one gave him anything instead Lazarus’ sores became chocolate for the
rich man’s dogs. One great man once said: “Evil triumphs in the world not because
there are so many bad people but because of the indifference of good people.”
*2. Indifference is Blindness.*
Indifference to the plight of others
is one of the great evils afflicting our world today. It is asking “what is my
business?” when we can do something (no matter how little) to change another
person’s story. Indifference is a form of blindness. Unlike the rich fool, God did
not take the rich man’s life immediately. He had several opportunities to catch
a glimpse of Lazarus but was technically blind to him. Sometimes, we get into useless
competitions with those we think are richer than we are that we fail to notice
the poor around us. We find it very hard to count our blessings because instead
of taking into consideration those in far worse conditions, we keep comparing
ourselves with those we think are better.
The truth is that there are billions
of poor people in the world; billions suffering from all kinds of circumstances.
Even Jesus (responding to Judas Iscariot concerning the woman who anointed his
feet with costly ointment), noted that: “you will always have the poor with
you.” (Matthew 26:11 & Mark 14:7). When we consider the enormity of poverty
around us, we are tempted to ask; “What can I do? What difference can I even
make?” These questions should not make us more indifferent, rather they should spur
us to action. Jesus is not asking you to solve world poverty, instead, Jesus
tells this story today so that we can open our eyes to see what is in our power
to do. It wouldn’t have taken much from the rich man to help Lazarus but he was
too blind to notice.
*3. God Hates Wastefulness.*
In as much as riches are blessings
from God who gives to his children in abundance, God hates wastefulness. Therefore,
after working the miracle of the loaves, when the multitudes had eaten enough,
Jesus ordered his disciples to gather the scraps left over. (Cf. Mt. 14:20, Mk.
6:43, Lk. 9:17) Jesus tells us that the rich man wore purple clothes and fine
linen and feasted sumptuously every day. It is one thing to be properly
dressed, but a different thing to wear the most expensive clothes in the world.
Again, it is one thing to have three square meals a day but a different thing to
throw a feast (party) every single day.
One of the reasons we fail to help
the poor is because we like to think of ourselves as poor when in fact, we do not
notice our wastefulness. Rather than go for designer clothes, why can’t I go
for the cheaper ones and use what is left to help one poor person who has no clothes
to wear? Rather than cook a single pot of soup with fifty thousand naira, why
don’t I cook the one of ten thousand and use the remaining forty thousand to
help someone who has not eaten for many days now? As a girl for instance, rather
than buy and fix human hair running into hundreds of thousands, why don’t I just
plait my natural hair and use that money to buy sandals to poor school children
who go to school barefooted daily. God is asking us today: “Where are your
leftovers?”
*4. Be Good to People Especially When
You Do Not Stand to Gain from Them.*
Why is that we humans treat people
well when we consider them as beneficial to us and we treat others like flies
when we feel they are useless to us? Let something bad happen to you and you
will be shocked that even your friends who once licked the dust of your shoes
will not even pick your call let alone respond to your message. This rich man
who never gave Lazarus a cup of water to drink was asking for a little drop
when he recognized Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. So he even knew that someone
like Lazarus was in existence!
Once upon a time, I saw a short video
clip. Every morning, there was this destitute beggar at the entrance of the
shop of a successful trader. To drive him away, the trader would pour a bucket
of water on this beggar’s body but the beggar kept using the place as his
bedroom. One day, the trader opened his shop, he had his bucket of water in
hand but the beggar was not there. He became worried and for the first time
decided to review his CCTV camera. The trader discovered that all that time he
was maltreating the beggar (never for once did he give him anything to eat), this
destitute beggar was always helping to fight off a group of armed robbers who come
at night trying to burgle his shop. That night, they had stabbed the beggar to
death and that was why he didn’t have anyone to pour water on. What a pity!
The fact that you feel someone is useless
to you does mean you have the right to treat him or her like garbage. The poor,
dirty, smelly human being you see and ignore daily is Jesus and if you do not
recognise Jesus in him/her, you would not recognize Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
*5. Lazarus Has Come Back to Warn
us.*
The principal lesson of our Gospel
passage today is found in the lips of the rich man. When he realized he could
not get a drop of water, he cried: “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my
father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they
will not also come into this place of torment.” (Luke 16:27-28). This is where
the story becomes a living reality in our lives. In truth, we are hearing this
message are the brothers of the rich man and Lazarus is here already and he is
warning us. Are you going to listen? Or are you going to prove Abraham right
that even if someone rises from the dead, we would not repent?
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, break my
cold heart of stone and teach me to recognize you in the poor. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (26th Sunday in
Ordinary Time. Year C. Bible Study: Amos 6:1-7, Psalm 148 1st Timothy 6:11-16 &
Luke 16:19-31)
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