Cycle C - Year I:

29 September 2013: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical color: Green)

Luke 16:19-31

A heart of compassion for the poor!

Someone said that the Philippines "is a rich country pretending to be poor." There is truth in the first part of that statement, considering that our country is blessed with natural resources, industrious and hardworking people, and the billions of pesos collected by government from taxes and borrowings.

But it is not true that we are just pretending to be poor, because majority of our people are really poor. They are poor because our elected leaders pretend to be caring for them while in the truth they are screwing them. So that the wealth of the nation is enjoyed by only the few and rest, which is the majority, make do from the crumbs that are thrown to them by the greedy. That calls to mind the people's outrage against the pork barrel scam.

The Gospel parable on this 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time gives us a timely message about the rich and poor people of our society.

The rich man in the story dresses well and dines sumptuously each day, but ignores poor Lazarus lying at his door steps begging for food. 

Now Jesus describes Lazarus as a poor man, covered with sores and desiring to eat the scraps that fall from the rich man's table. Jesus adds that dogs even used to come and lick Lazarus' sores. Obviously, Jesus is revealing his heart, that he sees the pain and anguish of the poor and the sick, and it stirs his emotions.

The story goes that at the end of their worldly life, poor Lazarus was "carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham" in heaven, while the rich man was in "the netherworld, where he was in torment."

What was the rich man's sin that merited his damnation? Well, he did nothing for Lazarus while in this life. It was not what the rich man did, it was what he failed to do that condemned him to hell. In other words, the rich man's wealth was not his sin. There is nothing in the story that his wealth was ill-gotten. Rather, it was his self-indulgence that blinded him to the basic human needs of his fellowman that warranted his condemnation.

Thus, it is clear that Jesus uses this story to teach with precision that each of his disciples must have a special place in their heart for the poor.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to have an option for the poor, the sick and the starving of this world. The gospel parable makes it painfully obvious that this is a non-negotiable aspect of following Jesus Christ. That is to say, if we plow through life so concerned only about our own needs and hurts that we cannot see or attend to the suffering of our neighbor, we cannot be Jesus' disciples.

In practical life, Jesus reminds us today that if we fail to see the Lazarus around us and do nothing to alleviate his suffering, we will not be happy come judgment day.

Thus, the message of today's gospel is simple: if you have gifts and riches, share them with those less fortunate. Because by making ourselves "poor in spirit" we will accumulate riches beyond comprehension in heaven.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta used to say that the poor are really Christ in distressing disguise. In each of them, we must seek to alleviate Christ's pain and suffering in this world.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!