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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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Do you remember the sitcom, Cheers?
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 30 years since the show began. I can still imagine Sam, Woody, Carla, Cliff, Norm, and Diane sitting around the bar.
The show just drew you in. There’s something incredibly comforting about sharing your troubles with buddies, perhaps over a pint or two.
It’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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We’re trying to create that same sense of community here at St. Pius X. It’s why we’re having a series of nametag Sundays over the next few weeks. Sometimes we, too, want to go where everybody knows our name, and they’re always glad we came.
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The parable in today’s Gospel speaks of the rich man and Lazarus. Interestingly, this is the only parable in all of the Gospels where Jesus gives a character a name.
Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. There’s just the Prodigal Son, his father, and his older brother. No one has a name.
But today Jesus names this poor man covered in sores, “Lazarus,” which means, “God will help.”
The rich man, however, is nameless, defined only by his wealth. His purple garments symbolize his identity within a royal family. He also has a gate in front of his home, where Lazarus lays desperate for help.
This gate is a sign of the rich man’s security, his privacy, and his insulation from the suffering of others. By separating himself from the poor, he separates himself from God.
As Jesus teaches us, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”
And whatever we don’t do for them, we don’t do for Christ.
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Jesus doesn’t condemn the rich man for being rich or for doing anything wrong. He condemns him for not doing something right.
He had the opportunity to encounter Christ daily; Lazarus was literally starving just outside of his gate, eager to eat the mere scraps from his table. The rich man had to step over him just to leave his home!
But he never stops to ask, “Lazarus, are you okay? How can I help?”
After he dies, the rich man sees Lazarus resting in heaven, full and content, but he still thinks of Lazarus as being inferior to himself.
From the netherworld, he cries out, “Father Abraham, send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.”
Meaning, send Lazarus down from heaven to serve me!
It’s almost comical how blind he is to the suffering and dignity of others, despite the misery he himself now faces.
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On the surface, the Gospel application is clear. Christians should never become blind to or insulated from the physical suffering others. If someone is laying hungry at our feet, then we should help them.
But what about the mental, emotional, or spiritual state of others? How can we be alert to those suffering in silence?
Nobody walks around wearing a t-shirt saying, “Hi, I’m depressed.” Or, “I’m anxious.” Or, “I feel lost inside.”
But studies suggest that one out of every six people will experience depression at some point in their life. That statistic must be even higher emerging from this pandemic.
This is the reason why we’re starting the conversation about mental health here in our parish, to begin addressing our “invisible” needs – the need to belong, to be affirmed, and to say, if it happens, “I’m not okay.”
It’s why we’re having Brandon Marshall, an NFL veteran and mental health advocate, speak at our 10 a.m. Mass today.
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Imagine Sam, Woody, Carla, Cliff, Norm, and Diane sitting around the bar. “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and there always glad you came.”
May we become one of those places, where people feel a deep sense of belonging, because that’s where real conversations – and real healing – begins, where everybody knows your name.
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Image credits: (1) Texas Public Radio (2) GQ, Cheers (3) Chicago Association of Realtors
