26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 25, 2022

Money and the comforts it brings can blind us to the needs of others

Luke 16: 17–31

There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and 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. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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, Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ 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.’

Music Meditations

• Open My Eyes, Lord—Jesse Manibusan
• My Wealth Is Not in What I Own—Fernando Ortega
• Give Me Jesus—Vince Gill

Opening Prayer

Jesus, we offer to you in prayer all that we are and all that we have. We ask for help in using wisely all that we possess, and living easily with what we might like to possess but cannot. Bless those that have so little and open our eyes to what we might do to help. Us. Give us the eyes to see and the hearts to understand the suffering poverty brings to those in our own midst. And finally, give us the spirit of generosity.

Companions for the Journey

From “Living Space”, a Service of the Irish Jesuits 2022:

Commentary on Luke 16:19-31

Here we have illustrated in parable form two of Luke’s beatitudes: “Happy are you who are poor, you who are hungry now!” and “Woe to you who are rich, who are filled now!” The links with the First Reading are also obvious.

On the one hand, you have a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, both signs of great wealth. He also has a good table and enjoys the choicest of foods every day. (He is sometimes called ‘Dives’, which is simply the Latin word for ‘rich’.)

At the same time you have a poor man called Lazarus. (The rich man is nameless. In spite of all his money, he is a Nobody.) He was hungry and longed, like the dogs, to pick up the scraps that might fall from the dining table. The dogs even licked his sores. Dogs were abhorrent to Jews so this was a particularly degrading thing to happen.

What is striking about this scene is that nothing seems to be happening. The rich man is eating; the poor man is sitting and waiting. There are no words between them. The poor man is not abused or chased away; he is simply ignored as if he did not exist. “As often as you neglected to do it to the least of these brothers of mine, you neglected to do it to me.”

Then both men die. Lazarus is brought by angels to the bosom of Abraham; the rich man is condemned to an existence of great suffering in Hades, the place of the dead. The rich man now begs for even the slightest relief from the man he ignored in his lifetime. But it is now too late.

The rich man had his chance and he blew it. He had his life of “good things”; he now knows just how “good” they really were. It is now Lazarus’ turn to have the really good things, the companionship of his God.

The rich man begs on behalf of his brothers that they be warned. “They have Moses and the prophets [the whole Jewish religious tradition],” replies Abraham. “But if only someone would come to them from the dead, they would change their ways.” “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”

Surely a reference to Jesus himself and to the many Jews who refused to believe in him even after his resurrection. There are people today who want some special signs from God in order to believe. We have the Good News of the New Testament and the living, experienced presence of Jesus among us; we do not need any more. We have all the guidance we need to lead the kind of life which will ensure we spend our future existence in the company of Lazarus.

And that life is measured not by wealth, status, or power but in a life of caring and sharing relationships. In a world of extreme consumerism, hedonism and individualism, today’s readings have a very important message. Those are truly rich who enrich the lives of others.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

Who do I identify with in the story? If the answer is “neither”, then am I off the hook? How do I define I rich? Am I rich? Am I richer than others? How am I privileged? What are the challenges presented by that privilege? In the light of the gospels, what do I do with my money? How does money fit in with my identity as a Catholic? As a disciple of Jesus? How does money define my spirituality? How big a fault is self-absorption or self-centeredness? What might self-centeredness lead to in terms of behavior towards others? Did you notice that even after the rich man died he still thought of Lazarus as someone lesser who was there to do his bidding? How does economic stratification lead to such behavior? Have you been on the giving end or the receiving end of entitled and arrogant behavior? What is the role of sensitivity in dealing with those less fortunate? What behaviors, though well meant, can be seen as condescending or demeaning? Does today’s inequality resemble the inequality of Jesus’ time? How invisible are the poor among us here in this wealthy suburb of San Francisco? How much time in our own lives do we focus on faults of omission as well as faults of commission? How easy is it to comfort ourselves with the knowledge that we have not really done bad things? Are the good things we do mostly for those we care about, or want to impress? Does my charity begin and end at home? Do I only give out of my excess, or do I only give what I no longer want or need? Do I believe that “no one gets into heaven without a letter of recommendation from the poor”? What Lazarus have I encountered lately? What poor person have I encountered lately? If not, how is that possible? What am I missing?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Luke 16: 19-31 Why did the rich man go to an eternity of torment? We are not told that he acquired his wealth by foul means. We are not told that he personally, is responsible for the poverty and misery of Lazarus. In fact, we are not even told that Lazarus begged from him directly and was refused. We are not told that the rich man committed any crime or bad deed. All we are told is that he feasted and dressed in fine clothing. Should he go to hell for that? Well, he did sin…He committed a sin most of us don’t even think about. It is the sin of omission. The rich man chose not to see Lazarus at his doorstep. He just did not see him. He was spiritually blind, spiritually unaware. This parable challenges you and me to look around and see, and to act on what we see .It prompts us to turn down the noise, pause from the rat race, put aside our own preoccupations—and notice Lazarus at the door. And to do something. Here are some practical suggestions: 1. Reflect. What does where you spend money say about your priorities? 2. Tithe. Give a fixed percentage of your income to your church and to the poor. 3. Create a "charity bin" in your home. Every time you go shopping, buy something(non-perishable) to drop in the bin. When it is full, take it to the nearest church or soup kitchen that has the resources to distribute it to the poor. 4. Show by example, and teach your children that no matter how little they have, some of that belongs to others. Take them to someplace where they can see how privileged they are to have a home and food and schooling….. 5. Adopt a family charity 6. Have family talks about limiting consumption of luxuries Inspired by a homily for 26 Sunday B in the Word In and Out of Season by Father William Bausch

Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Many of the famous sayings of Jesus have been arranged according to topic and grouped together in what has come to us as the Beatitudes. These words of Jesus are considered so important, so pivotal, that scholars and spiritual leaders have spent centuries discussing their meaning and their application. There are over 8000 books available on Amazon. com alone! The beatitudes comprise sort of a keynote address, and the very first lines set the tone for the entire selection. What if Jesus had taken his first lines from his observation of the way our modern world sometimes words? They might go something like this: Blessed are the rich and famous, for they shall have what they want. Blessed are they who cut their losses, and get rid of the losers; they will live to win another day Blessed are the and powerful, they will inherit the earth Blessed are the white and well educated, the world is theirs Blessed are they who cry for vengeance, they will be seen as protectors of society Blessed are they who cultivate the right people, they will go far Blessed are they who tailor their morals to meet the marketplace, they will be rewarded. Blessed are Americans for they shall have the earth's riches at their beck and call. (adapted from Fr. Jude Siciliano, O.P.) Where in these “beatitudes” is the room for the poor, the unfortunate? Those who have made mistakes in judgement about their career? Are my successes, my possessions, seen as gifts from God, or do they distract me from recognizing my radical dependence on God alone? Where, in our worldly “beatitudes”, do we see a concern for the poor as an absolute mandate? If I were to write a list of ideas I live by in eight short sentences, what would they be, and where do the silent poor fit in?

Poetic Reflection:

Sometimes, when we see someone among us who is down on his or her luck, or really desperate, we don’t see them as invisible. Worse, we can dismiss them from our consciousness if we see them as culpable in their own misery. This poem, written by a one-time welfare mother, dispels that notion:

My name is not “Those People.”
I am a loving woman,
a mother in pain, giving birth to the future,
where my babies have the same chance to thrive as anyone.

My name is not “Inadequate.”
I did not make my husband leave—he chose to,
and chooses not to pay child support.
Truth is though, there isn’t a job base for all
fathers to support their families.
While society turns its head, my children pay the price.

My name is not “Problem and Case to Be Managed.”
I am a capable human being and citizen, not a client.
The social service system can never replace the compassion
and concern of loving Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Fathers,
Cousins, Community—all the bonded people who need to be
but are not present to bring children forward to their potential.

My name is not “Lazy, Dependent Welfare Mother.”
If the unwaged work of parenting, homemaking and community building
was factored into the Gross National Product, my work would have untold value.
And I wonder why my middle-class sisters whose husbands support them to raise their children
are glorified—and they don’t get called lazy and dependent.

My name is not “Ignorant, Dumb or Uneducated.”
I live with an income of $621 with $169 in food stamps.
Rent is $585. that leaves $36 a month to live on.
I am such a genius at surviving that I could balance the state budget in an hour.
Never mind that there is a lack of living-wage jobs.
Never mind that it is impossible to be the sole emotional, social and economic support to a family.
Never mind that parents are losing their children
to the gangs, drugs, stealing, prostitution, social workers, kidnapping, the streets, the predator.
Forget about putting money into schools—just build more prisons.

My name is not “Lay Down and Die Quietly.”
My love is powerful and my urge to keep my children alive will never stop.
All children need homes and people who love them.
They need safety and the chance to be the people they were born to be.
The wind will stop before I let my children become a statistic.
Before you give in to the urge to blame me,
the blames that lets us go blind and unknowing into
the isolation that disconnects us, take another look.
Don’t go away.

For I am not the problem, but the solution.

And…My name is not “Those People.”

—Julia Dinsmore

Closing Prayer

Help us to remember what matters most in the midst of all we have to do. Give us eyes to see the needs of those around us. Give us ears that hear the meaning behind the words, Give us hands that reach out to make a difference. Give us hearts that beat in tune with Yours rather than with the clock on the wall. Remind us often that time and good are to be given, not spent.