Word to the Wise
Sunday, September 29, 2019 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Habb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10]"'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus 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 form crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'" [Luke]
Those fortunate enough to visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona can image what a great chasm might be. How could such a chasm occur to separate the Rich Man (tradition calls him, "Dives," which means "rich") from Lazarus at the end of life and the beginning of eternity? The first scripture for this Sunday could offer a hint. Amos takes dead aim at the wealthy in the Northern Kingdom before the Assyrian invasion destroyed it. Their wealth had made them oblivious to what was going on around them. Likewise, in the gospel scripture for today, Dives seems unaware of Lazarus at his doorstep. We are not told that Dives became wealthy at Lazarus' expense, although material wealth in Jesus' day did come from ownership of land and boats which needed menial labor. The simple fact seems to be that his wealth made Dives oblivious to the poor man at his door.
The Gospel According to Luke consistently highlights Jesus' warnings about the dangers of material wealth. Those who are well off must share their wealth with those who are not. The parables of the Dishonest Steward last week and the parable of the Rich Fool who built bigger barns rather than share his surplus are two other examples. It amounts to challenging our drive for security and a lack of consciousness of the needs of others for some security. The "gospel of prosperity" can lead to the thought that those who have little must be bad or lazy or lesser beings. The chasm is a moral one but it is built dollar by dollar.
Jesus points out that Dives and his brothers ignored Moses and the prophets and will ignore the one who rises from the dead. What is our own consciousness of those mentioned in Matthew 25:31-45: the poor, hungry, naked, sick and stranger in our midst? What do we need to be "secure?" Who is on our doorstep? AMEN