26th Sunday in Ordinary Time September 28, 2025
Money and the comfort it brings can blind us to the needs of others.
LUKE 16: 17-31
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
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.’
PREPARATION/CENTERING
Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025
If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.
Presence of God
Leader: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. (1-2 minutes of silence)
Freedom
Leader: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. (1-2 minutes of silence)
Consciousness
Leader: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)
(Obviously, this centering prayer can be prayed individually if you are not in a group)
OPENING PRAYER
Jesus, I offer to you in prayer all that I am and all that I have. I ask for help in using wisely all that I possess, and living easily with what I might like to possess but cannot. Help me to place my security not in things, but relationships. Bless those that have so little and open my eyes to what I might do to help. Give me the eyes to see and the heart to understand the suffering poverty brings to those in our own midst. And finally, give me the spirit of generosity.
COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY
From “First Impressions 2022” a service of the Southern Dominican Province
(This is long, but really good….)
The Amos reading is a natural complement to the Gospel reading. The shepherd/prophet Amos is speaking to the rich and powerful of the land. They have the lion’s share of the earth’s riches. At the same time they believe they are receiving special benefits from their relationship with God. Amos acknowledges Israel’s unique place, but also claims this will be the very cause of its downfall, since Israel did not fulfill its special mission to be the elect. Previously (5:20), Amos had spoken of “the day of the Lord.” The rich and comfortable looked forward to it as a moment of joy and final triumph promised by God. But Amos says that “day” will be a day of gloom -- exactly because of the way the rich have behaved. Notice the poetic images depicting the contrasting states of rich and poor: the rich have “beds of ivory” (vs. the usual straw pallets of the poor); the rich eat meat (while the poor rarely have it); the rich have time to compose songs -- ironically compared to David’s songs -- (while the poor have no free time.) What the people saw as signs of political stability, Amos says is intolerable to God. His words drip with disgust. These very rich will be the first to go into exile; and unfortunately, the poor will suffer too. The preacher might make use of contemporary images to contrast the appeals of our society to comfort, bodily extravagances, “the good life”, etc. and show how we are seduced by the images that appear on TV, the internet and movies that promote this extravagance. Meanwhile, the poor keep growing in number -- the number of uninsured in our country has grown to 31.1 million. Careful, do not just get angry, or accusatory here. The reason for this prophet’s strong oracle is to awaken people from their false illusions about God and what we call “blessings.” This reading is a wake-up call and in that, continues to show God reaching out to us through a prophet of “doom and gloom.” The rich man in today’s parable didn’t do anything wrong. He broke no commandments as he daily passed poor Lazarus at his door. But he does fall under Amos’ condemnation of the “complacent in Zion.” This man’s life was spent enjoying the benefits of his wealth; he wore the latest fashions and sat down to his gourmet meals -- each day. All the while Lazarus was within reach, longing for the scraps from the table. Last week’s gospel ended with Jesus’ instruction that we can’t serve two masters, God and mammon (wealth). Indecision over our priorities and inaction about our choices are not an option. If we don’t use what we have wisely and with these scriptures in mind, we fall under Amos’ indictment against our complacency. After last week’s passage, a few verses are skipped (14-18) as today we pick up the Lucan sequence. In the intermediate verses, omitted today, we learn that the Pharisees, “who were avaricious” (v. 14), mocked Jesus. So, he directs today’s parable at them. It continues the theme of chapter 16: the dangers of wealth in its various forms. Earlier in this gospel, Jesus told us that the poor are blessed (6:20) and the rich will receive their woes (6:24). Believers must take to heart Luke’s strong suspicions and reservations about wealth and the concern he shows in his gospel for the poor. The poor are born, live and die in anonymity. Manufacturers of tombstones and monuments for cemeteries have a sales pitch that says, “Remember your loved ones for the ages. If you can afford it.” No one inscribes the names of the innumerable poor of the ages on any granite markers. They die and are forgotten. However, through this parable Luke is saying, “There! The ages will not forget this man.” Luke has done an unusual thing. He has named the insignificant poor one.” He implies that all the wealth, recognition and esteem of others are merely temporary: in effect, they have no lasting value. So, why hoard them and risk being forgotten with them? We are invited to reflect upon what and whom we have pinned our hopes. Lasting or fading?Once again, through this parable, Jesus has taken the side of the poor and vulnerable. Luke has shown that Jesus was of lowly birth. For example, his parents offered the sacrifice of the poor when he was presented in the temple. Those following Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem, are learning that having material possessions should cause a disciple to be cautious. We learn that while possessions are not evil in themselves, they are dangerous and must be handled wisely. The rich man takes no such careful scrutiny of what he has and how he uses it. His wealth is only for himself. The details of the parable are poignant indeed. Who can forget them? The dogs of the street, who lick Lazarus’ sores, have more pity than the rich man. Jesus’ listeners would have been taken up short hearing this parable, since his contemporaries thought that riches were a sign of blessings from God. (It should make us cautious the next time we go about giving thanks for our “blessings.” What blessings and where did they come from?) In a similar vein they would have thought the poor man had sinned and his condition was God’s punishment for his misdeeds. The parable throws those tidy and convenient thoughts out the window! It turns out that God has noticed the poor, while the rich, as Mary says in her Magnificat (1:53), God has sent away empty. How ironic this parable is. Those for whom monuments are constructed, while they live and after they die -- are forgotten. While the poor, who live and die anonymously, are remembered by name. They are valued in God’s realm and get an up-close seat, “in the bosom of Abraham.” The utter density of the rich man is shown by his requests in the next life. He wants Abraham to send Lazarus to him with a drop of water. Lazarus is supposed to be his servant! Then he wants Lazarus to be a messenger to his five brothers back home to warn them what awaits them. (Did he have any sisters? Did they count in his eyes?) This man is so insensitive that even in the torments that are a result of his previous callousness, he still does not see how he missed Lazarus. The poor man continues to be insignificant and the rich man doesn’t even address him directly. But Lazarus is not some anonymous butler to run the rich man’s errands in the next world. What also startles the listener is that the usual norms for reward and punishment are missing. The rich man isn’t being punished for anything wrong he did; nor is Lazarus rewarded for a virtuous life. The details of their moral behavior are not mentioned. All we know from the parable is that one lived an isolated life of luxury; the other one of dire need. And God has set things right. Let’s not make the New Testament more sensitive to the plight of the needy than the Hebrew text. Because both texts called for justice and care for the poor. But if the rich man shows any concern at all, it is just for his brothers. He wants them to know the fate that awaits them too, if they lived as he did. He is told by Abraham that he and they already have been given all they need to know. The teachings about the poor are not something new; they are in the religious tradition of the Jews. “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.” We too have sufficient information about where our priorities should lie. We cannot be like the rich man and profess surprise and ignorance of what we should have known and done. Last week we were urged to make a choice between God and mammon; this week we can see a choice for God means actions on behalf of God’s beloved poor. Amos warns us today about complacency. We cannot go merrily along our own way; otherwise, the parable says, there is going to be a moment of anguish and regret. It’s not the wealth that is condemned, it’s the complacency. We may not be wealthy, but still we can be indifferent to others. When our own life runs along smoothly, we can lose awareness and sensitivity to those in need, especially to those in our immediate surroundings. Lazarus, after all, was at the man’s door. But through television and the internet, the whole world is at our door. While we can’t address all the needs we become aware of, we cannot use that as an excuse for inactivity. We Americans don’t have a strong communitarian sense. I may be guilty of generalizing here, but, for example, Africans I have known seem to have a stronger sense of sharing personal goods than we do in our culture. I also found this to be true among the poor in Appalachia. People with barely anything for themselves were extraordinarily generous with what little they had when another family was in need. We, on the other hand, are educated in many ways from childhood to be strong individuals. We learn that by hard work we get our rewards in goods and social standing. Thus, we might conclude that “I have earned what I have, let others do the same.” This parable reminds us of the deep links we have to others. The bible consistently tells us that while God may have addressed some individuals, they were not called primarily for the benefit of themselves, but for a people. God made a covenant, not with individuals, but with a people. The rich man and Lazarus were part of God’s people; something the rich man ignored or forgot. In effect, he broke the covenant with God and we learn of the consequences of such a choice. The man, not God, created the unbridgeable gap between himself and Abraham and Lazarus. The God who speaks this parable to us at this liturgy is like a mother concerned about her children. You can hear her wondering: “How come the few with so much are so indifferent toward so many of their sisters and brothers who are without? Don’t they know they are a family -- my children? Don’t those who spend so much on themselves to find happiness realize that they would be truly happy if they provided more for others? There would be fewer divisions and more harmony if my children would just live as the brothers and sisters I created them to be!” The parable opens our ears so we can listen to our concerned Mother. She knows best.
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
which follow:
Reflection Questions
With whom do I identify in the story? If the answer is ‘neither”, then am I off the hook?
How do I define 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?
Who are the “deserving poor” and their children? Who are the “undeserving poor” and their children? Would I give to one and not the other?
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? Do I ever stop to think of the ways in which I could have helped someone else (other than a family member) but did not?
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?
CLOSING PRAYER
Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for. 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 goods are to be given, not spent.
FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
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.
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.
Literary Reflection
Concern about our personal obsession with money is not a new phenomenon. Read what William Wordsworth had to say in 1802, in the midst of the Industrial Revolution:
The World is Too Much with Us
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.