Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 16, 2017 - 2nd Week of Lent - Thurs
[Jer 17:5-10 and Luke 16:19-31]"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptiously 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]
These words begin a powerful parable. It was addressed originally to the Pharisees, but it transcends its historical setting to challenge all of us. The story begins with the Rich Man (tradition calls him "Dives," which means "rich") whose life style is extravagant. Purple garments were a sign of great wealth because the dye was incredibly expensive. Dining sumptiously every day in a society where many did not know where their next meal would come from was also an indicator of his lifestyle. This makes the contrast with Lazarus all the more striking. Lazarus is not simply poor, he is sick with sores, almost like Job. The detail that must remain in our minds is not simply the contrast between him and Dives but the fact that Lazarus is at the very doorstep of Dives' house! At the end of the parable, there is no doorstep, only a great chasm and Dives is eternally poor and suffering, while Lazarus is eternally comforted.
The lesson of the story is not merely economic. It goes to the question of how material wealth can wind up owning the owner and shielding the owner from those who have little to live on if anything. There was, ironically, a great chasm between Dives and Lazarus from the very beginning of the story, even though Lazarus was right on the doorstep.
In Lent (and I hope afterward, too) it could be a challenging exercise to open the door of our minds and hearts to see if there is someone on our doorstep. Is there a "chasm" in us that prevents us from reaching out to them, especially if they represent the poor, the immigrant, the sick or imprisoned. If there is such a chasm, now is the time to cross it. AMEN
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