26th Sunday, Lazarus & Help the Poor

 

Today’s readings are about a failure to love and care for our neighbors, due to selfishness.

Failing to love and care for one’s neighbor results in condemnation as can be seen in the first reading from the prophet Amos-- to the leaders of the people of Israel. He said, “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!” Because their hearts were closed and ignored the needs of the poor, all the while living a sumptuous life, God would send the people Israel into exile as a punishment.

The Gospel has a similar message. The rich man lived a sumptuous life, all the while ignoring the needs of the poor man, Lazarus, because he was selfish and had an uncaring heart. When the poor man dies, he is taken to the bosom of Abraham, but when the rich man dies, he is taken to the netherworld for punishment, for his lack of love and concern for the poor man, Lazarus.

Pope John Paul II explains why the rich man was punished. In his homily at Yankee stadium in 1979, he said, “The rich man was condemned because he did not pay attention to the other man. Because he failed to take notice of Lazarus, the person who sat at his door and who longed to eat the scraps from his table. Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of earthly goods as such. Instead, he pronounces very harsh words against those who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the needs of others.”

Today’s readings are awake up call for us. Not out of fear of punishment, but to examine how we love our neighbor. We need to look into our heart, but also to look around us at the needs of others. Are we using the material goods that God has given us—to help others? Or are we selfish with our goods? Do pay attention only to our own desires and needs, while failing to pay attention to the needs of the poor?

Don’t most of us desire things merely because we want them, rather than because we need them? Couldn’t all of us do a better job at opening the door of our heart to Lazarus? If the door of heart is open and we pay attention-- we will see Lazarus everywhere.

Lazarus is in our poor relative, who lost his job and can’t afford to pay his gas and electric bills. He is in the young woman at the Crisis Pregnancy center. He is the single working mother with children. He is in the divorced who suffer from loneliness and poverty. Lazarus is the poor soul in purgatory, who no one prays. Lazarus is the sick who carries a heavy cross. Lazarus is in those mourning the loss of a loved one.

The Catholic Church has a teaching called the principle of subsidiarity, which states that matters should be handled at the lowest level first. For example, when we help others, we are obligated to first take care of our own family members, then those from our parish, then those in our local community, and those in our country and finally those in foreign countries.

Do we financially support our relatives, those in the parish and, those in our local community.

But, what if we have little money to help others, how can we help Lazarus at our door? We can volunteer at crisis pregnancy centers or volunteer to help other charitable organizations. One of the best things, we can do to help the poor, is to pray for them, and pray that God will inspire those that can help them, to open their hearts.

Who actually is Lazarus? Obviously, Lazarus is every poor person. But whom does Lazarus represent? Matthew Chap. 25 explains who the person is--- in the context of the obligation of helping the poor in the light of the final judgment. Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him... He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me….., for what you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me. Then He will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.”

We see in this scripture, “Jesus is disguised in the poor”. Today, may we open our hearts to serve Jesus in the poor, by paying attention to the needs of others and helping them. And, when our earthly life will have ended, we will be carried by angels to rest in the bosom of God our Father in heaven, who will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”, you paid attention to the needs of others, you have opened your heart and so have loved much, come and enjoy the banquet prepared for you by my Father.