Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 25, 2016 - 2nd Week of Lent - Thurs
[Jer 17:5-10 and Luke 16:19-31]THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016 THURSDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 16:19-31] "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen an 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..."[Luke] The powerful parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (along with the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan) could make for an entire Lent's reflection. Today, the gospel scripture presents the Rich Man and Lazarus. The introductory description has a phrase which really sets up the point: LYING AT HIS DOOR. How could the Rich Man (whom tradition calls "Dives" - a word meaning wealthy) NOT have known that Lazarus was there? One did not dine alone in the Middle East. There would be people coming and going from the sumptuous table. The development of the story becomes clear after death, which claims rich and poor alike, when Abraham points out the "great chasm" established between Dives and Lazarus. That chasm did not start at death. Dives had ample warning in the teachings of Moses and the prophets. Nowadays, he would have the teachings of Jesus who did indeed "rise from the dead." This parable challenges us to see who is lying at our door both individually and nationally. Perhaps Jesus challenges us to take a look at the walls we are building, and a lifestyle that numbs us to whoever might be lying at our door. We have the gospels and the Jubilee Year of Mercy to remind us. There does not have to be a chasm unless we create it. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
93 ms
4
