Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 21, 2008 - Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
[Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 16:19-31]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.......
These words begin one of Jesus' most powerful parables. The point that continuously haunts me from it is the fact that the Rich Man (traditionally called "Dives" - which means "rich.") wasn't so much personally evil as simply oblivious to a reality at his front door!!! This reality should have moved him to compassion. The rich in Jesus' time were expected to give alms as a duty. Dives did nothing. We're not told that he ignored Lazarus. It just seems that he didn't even look to see if there was someone there! If we fail to look, the poor will not only be invisible to us (a common problem), but they will not even exist! This is a scandal since we know well that poverty, hunger and homelessness are common in this land of plenty! We could easily be creating that "great chasm" that Abraham speaks of when Dives begs for help and relief. There are many good resources that can acquaint us in such a way that we will not remain ignorant of the poor nor passive in the face of their need. A Lent in which we get started on this could mean the difference in determining which side of that "great chasm" we will be in the end. AMEN