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Gospel: 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.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Many of you know, for the first three years I served as pastor of this parish, I wore a name tag every single day.
It hung above my heart, attached to a green lanyard with the three pillars of our mission statement printed on it: Building Community. Worshiping God. Making Disciples.
I wore it with intention. I wore it to show by example that we all enjoy being known by name. And we all want to feel welcome here.
Part of my inspiration came from the theme song of the tv sitcom Cheers: “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers a parable about a man named Lazarus. This is the only parable in all of the Gospels where Jesus gives someone a name.
The name, Lazarus, means, “God is my help.”
It seems like a paradox.
How can this beggar covered in ulcers, who is so weak that he cannot stop the street dogs from licking his wounds, bear a name like, Lazarus?
Although God delivers him from everlasting death and allows him to feast, not at an earthly table, but at his heavenly banquet, aren’t we left wondering:
“Where was God in this life? Was God deaf to his cries? Why did God allow Lazarus – who bore his name – to suffer torment?”
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Perhaps the Lord heard Lazarus loud and clear.
But the man whom God sent to answer his prayers – the man who had more than enough, who dressed in purple garments and fine linen, who ate sumptuously every single day – was indifferent to Lazarus’ suffering.
It’s a haunting truth.
Some – perhaps many – prayers go unanswered, not because God isn’t listening, but because the people whom God sends to help are busy, blind, or indifferent. As Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote, “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet, but yours.”
The first lesson in today’s Gospel parable is this: sometimes you and I are meant to be angels in disguise, the hands and feet of Christ.
A father may be the answer to his troubled son’s prayer.
A friend may be sent as God’s hidden voice of comfort.
A stranger may feed, clothe, or soothe someone in distress.
In some small way, God intends to use each of us to heal the bleeding and weeping of this world. But, unlike the rich man, our hearts must be softened by grace.
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This is why that anonymous glutton ends up in Hades. Not because he was rich. But because he was indifferent; he saw Lazarus suffer and did nothing. In fact, the rich man indicts himself while calling out to Abraham from the underworld.
“Father, Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue… Send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers so that he may warn them.”
By addressing both Abraham and Lazarus by name, the rich man admits that he has ignored the two fundamental pillars of religion: love of God and love of neighbor.
If this man knew of Abraham, then he knew of the God of Israel. And if he knew Lazarus by name, then he spoke with him at least once in life. Yet knowledge of neither provoked charity from his heart.
Amazingly, from the flames, the man’s perspective of Lazarus has not changed as he calls upon him to be his servant. “Cool my tongue… go tell my brothers.” But the rich man’s request for mercy is denied because he himself failed to show it.
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This provides a second lesson for us: whatever we ask of God, we should also be willing to extend to others. For example, how often do we pray for mercy, compassion, forgiveness, healing, or hope for ourselves?
While God eagerly desires to help, he will only do so for those who extend it to their neighbor. As Jesus says elsewhere, “Forgive and you will be forgiven… Do not judge and you will not be judged… Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful.”
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My friends, “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
Here at St. Pius X, we’re not only glad you came, but we also recognize that God uses us as angels in disguise, sent to comfort “Lazarus” among us.
For whatever we do to each other, we do to Christ himself.
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Image credits: (1) Pure Flix (2) Pemptousia (3) Tracy Chapman, Pinterest