Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 12, 2009 - Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
[Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 16:19-31]"My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Laxarus 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."
A few lines from another scriptural passage may help us to understand better the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus. These lines come from the Gospel of Matthew in the scene of final judgment - Matthew 25:31-46. In that vivid picture, both the blessed and the condemned say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, etc.....?" The judge responds, "As often as you did it for the least of my brethren, you did it to me." Perhaps the most important words for understanding what happened to "Dives," (the name tradition gives to the rich man), are: "Lord, when did we see you.....?" Lazarus was invisible to Dives! In so many ways the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, the sick are all invisible to us. Their condition is threatening and we simply deny they are there because we do not want to feel guilty or we are possessive of the "good" we have received which they have not received. But they are at our front door, in our neighborhood, city, state, nation and planet! By the standards of Jesus' time, Dives stood condemned because it was expected of a wealthy person that he graciously share his wealth through almsgiving on a regular basis. This was a societal given! In our individualistic Western society, almsgiving is a matter of personal choice! Perhaps we remember the poor at Thanksgiving, Christmas and in Lent (The Rice Bowl). But they are in need 365 days a year, not just in particular seasons. As long as we consider the goods we have received as MINE instead of OURS, we will be digging that Grand Canyon that Abraham refers to. We are stewards, not owners, of those goods. If Jesus' teaching does not convince us to be aware of the poor on our doorstep, how will his resurrection at Easter make any difference? AMEN
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