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User’s Guide to Sunday, Sept. 25
Sunday, Sept. 25, is the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31.
Today’s Gospel is the familiar parable about Lazarus and the rich man, which we will look at in three stages.
The Ruin of the Rich Man
As the Gospel opens, we see the rich man (some call him Dives, which simply means “rich”): “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.”
It is clear that he lives very well and has the ability to help the poor man, Lazarus, who is outside his gate. But he does not do so. The rich man’s sin is not so much one of hate as of indifference.
He is living in open rejection of one of the most significant Kingdom values: love of the poor. Hence, this rich man has willfully and repeatedly rejected the Kingdom and is ruined by his greed and insensitivity. He lands in hell because he doesn’t want heaven, where the poor are exalted (Luke 1:52).
Abraham explains the great reversal to him: “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.”
Continued below.
Why the Parable About Lazarus and the Rich Man Is Still Relevant
Sunday, Sept. 25, is the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31.
Today’s Gospel is the familiar parable about Lazarus and the rich man, which we will look at in three stages.
The Ruin of the Rich Man
As the Gospel opens, we see the rich man (some call him Dives, which simply means “rich”): “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.”
It is clear that he lives very well and has the ability to help the poor man, Lazarus, who is outside his gate. But he does not do so. The rich man’s sin is not so much one of hate as of indifference.
He is living in open rejection of one of the most significant Kingdom values: love of the poor. Hence, this rich man has willfully and repeatedly rejected the Kingdom and is ruined by his greed and insensitivity. He lands in hell because he doesn’t want heaven, where the poor are exalted (Luke 1:52).
Abraham explains the great reversal to him: “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.”
Continued below.
Why the Parable About Lazarus and the Rich Man Is Still Relevant
