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How many of us remember the old tv sitcom, Cheers?
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Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the show began. Can you visualize Sam, Woody, Carla, Cliff and Diane all gathered around the bar?
There’s something incredibly comforting about pouring out your troubles with friends – perhaps over a pint or two.
It’s something we seem to do less of today; instead of enjoying friendship face-to-face, we stare at our iPhones.
Yet we know that soothing feeling of being with buddies.
Perhaps that’s why the theme song was so catchy:
“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see the troubles are all the same. You wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
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That song has been playing in my head all week. Sorry if it’s now in yours!
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Speaking of everybody knowing your name, this is the only parable in the Gospels when Jesus mentions a character by name.
Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son, for example. There are no names given; only the father, the older brother, and the younger brother.
But today Jesus names this man covered in sores, Lazarus. Why?
To show that God knows who he is. The Lord watches him suffer; he feels his hunger; he’s counted every sore on his body.
Lazarus is the epitome of the poor on earth; in worldly standards, he is the loser.
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How many others in our world could be named Lazarus?
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They’re hungry, cold, stateless – they cry out to God for help – but it seems like nothing happens.
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Remember the other half of the parable.
God hears the cry of Lazarus, but he relies unsuccessfully upon this nameless rich man who’s covered – not with sores – but with silk.
That’s why the rich man is condemned – not because he’s rich but because he’s selfish. He watches Lazarus suffer – and does nothing.
Remember, Jesus never condemns having money; he condemns hoarding it. He condemns selfishness.
Like the nameless rich man, am I ever selfish with money or material things? And more importantly, am I ever selfish with my time?
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Time can be even harder to part with than money.
We live in a society where people find it easier to write a check than get their hands dirty.
It isn’t that we’re indifferent to the poor; often enough, we’re too busy or too distracted with the daily grind to get involved.
Yet we know that money won’t solve every problem. What each person needs – even more than money – is love.
Like the sitcom Cheers, we need to be known by name.
That’s why physical contact with the poor is so important. We’re relational beings; we need human touch. We need to feel loved by someone.
Think of Mother Teresa.
She dedicated her entire life to bathing the wounds of people like Lazarus and still came to the conclusion that the greatest poverty is not an empty stomach; it’s being unwanted – or feeling unloved.
In that sense, there are far more impoverished than the physically poor in our world. As a recent survey tells us, large numbers of Americans feel increasingly isolated.
Being lonely is another form of being Lazarus; it’s an epidemic.
How many of us, then, are Lazarus?
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This is where the Gospel challenges us – not only to alleviate physical poverty; but also to be aware of people’s emotional and spiritual needs.
We must care for the mind, the body, and the soul.
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It’s been said to get into heaven, we all need a letter of reference from the poor.
May we find the Lazarus among us – love them, serve them, and know them by name.
