20170316 THE OBLIGATION OF RICHES
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Jeremiah 17:5-10
©
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The Lord says this:
‘A curse on the man
who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things
of flesh,
whose heart turns
from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub
in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has
no eyes for it,
he settles in the
parched places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.
‘A blessing on the
man who puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his
hope.
He is like a tree by
the waterside
that thrusts its
roots to the stream:
when the heat comes
it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays
green;
it has no worries in
a year of drought,
and never ceases to
bear fruit.
‘The heart is more
devious than any other thing,
perverse too: who can
pierce its secrets?
I, the Lord, search
to the heart,
I probe the loins,
to give each man what
his conduct
and his actions
deserve.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
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Happy the man who
has placed his trust in the Lord.
Happy indeed is the
man
who
follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the
way of sinners
nor sits
in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is
the law of the Lord
and who
ponders his law day and night.
Happy the man who
has placed his trust in the Lord.
He is like a tree
that is planted
beside
the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit
in due season
and whose
leaves shall never fade;
and all
that he does shall prosper.
Happy the man who
has placed his trust in the Lord.
Not so are the
wicked, not so!
For they like
winnowed chaff
shall be
driven away by the wind.
for the Lord guards
the way of the just
but the
way of the wicked leads to doom.
Happy the man who
has placed his trust in the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Lk15:18
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Praise to you, O
Christ, king of eternal glory!
I will leave this
place and go to my father and say:
‘Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you.’
Praise to you, O
Christ, king of eternal glory!
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Or
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cf.Lk8:15
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Praise to you, O
Christ, king of eternal glory!
Blessed are those
who,
with a noble and
generous heart,
take the word of God
to themselves
and yield a harvest
through their perseverance.
Praise to you, O
Christ, king of eternal glory!
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Gospel
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Luke 16:19-31 ©
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Jesus said to the
Pharisees: ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and
feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called
Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that
fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor
man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich
man also died and was buried.
‘In his
torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in
his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these
flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things
came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted
here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great
gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to
yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”
‘The rich
man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house,
since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to
this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham
“let them listen to them.” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if
someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to
him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not
be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
THE
OBLIGATION OF RICHES
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ JER 17:5-10;
PS 1:1-4,6; LUKE 16:19-31 ]
What struck me in today’s
parable of the rich man is that nothing negative was said of him. He was just
minding his own business. He did not do anything to harm anyone. He
was blessed with riches. He dressed “in purple and fine linen and feast
magnificently every day” and probably invited his good friends to dine with him
frequently. He committed no wrong in doing that as it is not a sin to be
rich or to enjoy the good things of life. We should not feel guilty
simply because we are able to afford a good meal or a good holiday.
The Church is not against private possessions.
So what was the sin of the
rich man? He was oblivious to the needs of others, especially those who
were suffering. He was living in a world of his own. He forgot that
he had a duty to be his brother’s keeper. The rich man was condemned
because he failed to take notice of the poor Lazarus who was just outside his
gate, hungry, tattered, torn and suffering from sores. Jesus condemned the rich
man not because he was rich but because he used his possessions only for
himself and failed to realize that he was obliged to share his goods and wealth
with the poor and the needy.
Although we might have done
nothing evil, yet the failure to use our wealth and resources responsibly for
the good of all is itself a sin of omission. The point of the gospel
story is that we are all children of Abraham and most of all, children of God,
redeemed by Christ, created in God’s image and likeness. Every life is
sacred to God and bought with the precious blood of Christ. We share a
common humanity. Necessarily, we are called to follow Christ in reaching out to
those who are poor, suffering and disadvantaged. Many are starving in the
world, deprived of basic needs of life, food and accommodation because of
famine and wars. Respect for the dignity of our brothers and sisters in
Christ means that we are to ensure a fairer distribution of material resources
to all. Poverty exists today simply because the minority rich owns 80% of the
world’s resources! So it is not that we do not have enough food to feed
all. It is just that the few are taking the food of the poor.
Today, the poor includes
those who are spiritually and affectively poor as well. Depriving a
person of God and His transcendent call is to short-change a person in finding
fullness of life. When religions are discriminated or even prohibited, we are
depriving the human person of the opportunity to find peace and happiness in
God. The psalmist says, “A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things of the flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like
dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles
in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.”
Of course, we must not forget the many elderly today who are left alone to look
after themselves because their children no longer live with them as they have
their own lives to live.
Today, we are called to
change our attitudes in the way we handle our riches and resources. In
the first place, the gospel reminds us that earthly possessions are passing
things. They do not withstand the test of time. We cannot bring
even a needle into the next life. Like the rich man in the gospel, upon
death, in the face of God’s love, he will find himself unable to be one with
God and with the saints in heaven because he lacks the capacity to love.
Upon death, only those who are generous of heart can enter the kingdom of
God. Those who lack the capacity to love would have to undergo the
purification of self in purgatory, not excluding the possibility of eternal
hell for those who are completely closed to goodness and love.
Indeed, hell is but a state
of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is a state of isolation from God
and our fellowmen. Whenever we are not in union with others, we
experience pain. The greater the union we share with our brothers and
sisters, the greater is the joy. This explains why the rich man was never
given a name as he does not know anyone and no one knows him. Only the
poor Lazarus has a name because he is loved and acknowledged by God. The
rich man without a name implies that he has no identity at all. He does
not know what he is living for.
In other words, we need
each other. The rich need the poor to find meaning and purpose in life.
Only when they see God in the poor and the suffering, will they will then begin
to value what they have and be grateful for God’s blessings.
Unfortunately the rich man realized it too late. God gave him the poor to help
him appreciate His love and share in His joy of giving but he did not
understand. Lazarus was a gift of God to the rich man to awaken his heart
of love but he did not receive it. Conversely, the poor need the rich to
help them in their financial, personal and emotional needs. Lazarus was
looking for support. God gives us to each other so that we can help each
other. We are social beings, not just individuals. We are created
as individuals, different and unique in order to love. Otherwise, we will
love ourselves selfishly and that would be narcissism. In truth, we all
need each other to be truly happy. No one is self-sufficient.
Happiness is in giving and receiving. The rich give money and the poor
give love. God gives us to each other so that we can share in His love
and joy.
Consequently, we are called
to walk the ways of the Lord if we intend to find real happiness in life.
“A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord. With the Lord for his
hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no
worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.” If
the rich man had walked in the ways of the Lord, he would have found happiness
on earth and a greater happiness in heaven. Although Lazarus did not find
happiness on earth and suffered much, yet, he was comforted in the next life.
Today, we are called to
imitate Abraham, the father of hospitality. From the bible, we know that
Abraham was a rich man and he had many flocks of sheep and goats; herds of
cattle. But he was welcoming to strangers who came by. (cf Gn 18:1-5) Although
he was the master, he made himself a servant to them. “My lord, if I have
found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.” (Gn 18:3) Instead of
asking the servants to prepare the food for the strangers, he asked his wife to
do it instead. (Gn 18:6)
He treated every stranger as if they were the masters of the house. He
was never selfish and welcomed travelers to stay in his tent. He would
not let a passer-by leave without providing shelter and food. He would
save those under persecution from their enemies. (Gn 14:14-16) He
welcomed the stranger not because they were great and rich people but simply
because he cared for them, regardless of their status and condition.
By so doing, unknowingly,
he welcomed the Lord. Indeed, God came in the three strangers. Isn’t
this what the Lord said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and
you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to
me.” (Mt 25:35f)
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren,
you did it to me.” Not surprisingly, we read in the gospel, “Now the poor
man died and was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” Abraham
is the home of God because God lives in him as his guest. The poor man
Lazarus was in the arms of Abraham and not any other prophet because the latter
was a symbol of hospitality.
So, let us be forewarned of
the reversal of values in the eyes of God. The psalmist counsels us, “Happy
indeed is the man … who ponders his law day and night. He is like a tree
that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven
away by the wind, for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the
wicked leads to doom.” The gospel of Luke underscores this theme even
more forcefully in this parable when the rich man is cursed and punished
whereas the poor man is blessed. God is on the side of the poor, for the
name Lazarus means “God is my help.” God is faithful to the just at the
end of time.
Alas, will we listen to
this warning from the Lord? Many of us are oblivious, like the rich man.
In his torment, he requested Abraham, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus
to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning, so that
they do not come to this place of torment too.” But Abraham made it
clear, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them. If
they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be
convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.” How true! The Lord
knows the hearts of men. “The heart is more devious than any other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search the heart; I
probe the loins to give man what his conduct and action deserve.” So let us
not miss the opportunity to do good whilst we can. There are many
Lazaruses out there waiting for us to encounter God through them. Let us
not be like the rich man who lost sight of God because he was too preoccupied
with himself and his enjoyment, seeking happiness only in the worldly things.
Instead of growing in love through sharing and giving, his treasure was only on
earth, not in heaven.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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