Luke 16:19-31

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

“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, covered with sores,

who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps

that fell from the rich man's table.

Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died,

he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried,

and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,

he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off

and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.

Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,

for I am suffering torment in these flames.’

Abraham replied, ‘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 from crossing

who might wish to go from our side to yours

or from your side to ours.’

He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him

to my father's house,

for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,

lest they too come to this place of torment.’

But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them listen to them.’

He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,

but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

Then Abraham said,

'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,

neither will they be persuaded

if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you know all things. Guide me along the path that leads to life with you. Protect me from danger and give me your grace to fight the good fight, finish the race, and receive the victorious crown of your glory.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Moses and the Prophets: As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, he alludes through a parable to the death he will suffer in Jerusalem and his glorious resurrection from that death. The parable is addressed in particular to the Pharisees, who are hypocritically behaving like the rich man, who was indifferent to the needs of the poor man, Lazarus, at his doorstep. Jesus refers to the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, who are not listening to Moses – the first five books of the Bible – or to the prophets. What is worse, they are refusing to listen to Jesus, the Word and Son of God, who will be raised from the dead. The books of the Old Testament all point to Jesus, and the Pharisees are blind to this.

2. The Reversal of Fortunes: One of the themes that runs throughout the Gospel of Luke is the reversal of fortunes. This theme was announced early on in Mary’s Magnificat: God will humble the proud and powerful and raise up the poor, the humble, the outcast, and the lowly. In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus pronounced a blessing on the poor and woe on the rich. Earthly blessings – wealth and pleasure – can easily lead to eternal suffering, while earthly suffering – poverty, sickness, persecution – can be a sure path to eternal happiness. This is because those who are rich tend to trust in themselves, while the poor tend to trust in the help of others, especially in the help of God. But had the rich man in the parable seen himself as a steward of earthly wealth and done all he could to help the less fortunate, he would have stored up heavenly treasure and likely enjoyed the gift of eternal life.

3. The Two Ways: The First Reading, from Jeremiah, sets forth the two ways we can follow in this life: the way of wisdom that leads to the divine blessing of life and the way of foolishness that triggers the curse of death. If we read Jeremiah in the light of the Gospel, we see that the rich man followed the way of foolishness in his earthly life and came to a tragic end in the life to come, while the poor man, Lazarus, followed the way of wisdom in his earthly life and attained the ultimate blessing in the life to come. The rich man trusted in human beings, sought his strength in earthly things, turned his heart from the Lord, and was like a barren bush, a lava waste, and empty wasteland. Lazarus trusted in the Lord as he suffered and was like a “tree planted beside the waters” that bore fruit. We know that we can unite our sufferings in this life to those of Christ and that this will bear abundant fruit for the Kingdom of God. God alone sees our mind and heart and will reward us according to our ways and the merit of our deeds, empowered by his grace.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to see your face in the poor. Move my heart to have compassion on those who need my help. Do not let me be indifferent to you and the needs of my brothers and sisters.

Living the Word of God: One of the three practices of Lent is almsgiving. This Lent, how have I used the wealth I have on behalf of the poor? What changes do I need to make? What is God asking me to be detached from?