20200312
THE
TRULY RICH MAN
12 March, 2020, Thursday, 2nd
Week of Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
|
First reading
|
|
Jeremiah 17:5-10 ©
|
A curse on the man who puts his trust in man and turns from the
Lord
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.’
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
|
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.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
Lk15:18
|
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!
|
Or:
|
cf.Lk8:15
|
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!
|
Gospel
|
Luke 16:19-31 ©
|
Dives and Lazarus
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 TRULY RICH MAN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 17:5-10; PS 1:1-4, 6; LUKE
16:19-31 ]
Who is the truly rich
man? In the gospel,
there was “a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast
magnificently every day.” He seemed to be rich in the things of this
life. He was enjoying himself and living a luxurious life. But the
gospel never said that he was truly rich in life, in love and in mercy.
He might have had a rich material life but he was poor in love, in joy and
happiness. This was why the Lord said, “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.” A man who is only focused on the material things of
this life and its sensual pleasures will not find life to the fullest. He
has forgotten that he is not simply made of matter but with a spirit and a
soul. He is created in the image and likeness of God. Nothing in
this world can satisfy his restless soul until he rests in God.
Indeed, a man is truly
rich only when he shares his riches with others, does not hoard the things of
this earth for himself. The
mistake of the rich man in the gospel was not that he was rich. There is
nothing immoral about being rich. If God has blessed us with riches, we
should be grateful and accept them willingly. God did not intend us to be
poor and sickly. He wants us to enjoy the fullness of life, which
includes the things of the earth. But He wants us to share what we have
with others so that together we can enjoy the fruits of the earth. God
does not want some to have much and others to be deprived even of the basic
things in life. So those of us who have riches must be generous enough to
share with those who do not have. Only by so doing, can we partake in the
joy of God who is always life-giving.
This was the case of
Abraham in today’s gospel. It
is significant that the parable chose Abraham as the model of the truly rich
man who was not attached to his wealth. “Now the poor man died
and was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” We read in Genesis
that “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” (Gn 13:2)
However, he was also generous and recognized that everything he had came from
God, not from himself. He did not have that mentality of “I earned it
myself.” Rather, he was grateful to God and he offered Him,
“one-tenth of everything”. (Gn 14:19f)
He was not greedy or attached to wealth. When trouble brewed between
Abraham’s herdsmen and that of his nephew, Lot, he said, “Let there be no
strife between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we are
kindred. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you
take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand,
then I will go to the left.” (Gn 13:8f)
Most of all, Abraham was
a model of hospitality. He
welcomed visitors to stay with him. He would not allow visitors to pass
through without first providing them hospitality. He provided them
shelter and personally prepared for them a good meal. He served his
guests as if he was their servant. One hot day, he unknowingly entertained
angels in the form of three men passing by his tent. “When he saw them,
he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the
ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your
servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may
refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to
your servant.'” (Gn 18:2-5) Such was the graciousness of Abraham
towards all travelers. He welcomed them and served them.
That was why for the
Jews, Abraham was portrayed as a man of joy and love. Because he was identified with
every man and served them humbly and generously, he became a friend to
all. It is significant that the gospel says that when the poor man died,
he “was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” He was the
symbol of God’s presence, a place of joy, peace and rest. But it is the
poor, the marginalized that will enjoy being at the bosom of Abraham.
This was because when he was on earth, he welcomed everyone. So now in
heaven, it is right that Abraham continues to extend the same hospitality to
everyone, including the poor. Christ Himself identified with the poor when He
said, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and
you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you
visited me.” (Mt 25:35f)
Indeed, this is what
heaven is all about. If the rich man was “in agony in these flames” of
hell, it was because he had no friends. He was never a friend to anyone except
himself. He was only concerned about himself. He was indifferent to
the poor, those who were suffering, and oblivious to Lazarus who was in front
of his doorstep. The gospel is not talking about the poor in some remote
parts of the world where he was ignorant of, but the poor before his very
eyes. There was, “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.” No greater hunger, pain and humility could Lazarus
have suffered. But the rich man did not care. Hence after death, he
was cut off from everyone. Abraham told him, “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.” This is the
definition of hell, a man incapable of love, compassion and alienated from God
and from his fellowmen and shut out within himself.
Indeed, today, we are
called to depend on God, not on ourselves. It is only when we realize that all we have
come from God that we become more grateful and generous towards others.
The Lord said, “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.”
Only when we rely on the blessings of God, recognizing that our wealth, health,
positions in life, all come as gifts from God, then we learn to share with
others what He has blessed us with. So long as we think we have earned it
ourselves, we can rationalize and say, “this is the reward for my hard work and
therefore, I deserve to enjoy all the fruits by myself.”
During this season of
Lent, we are called to become more identified with our fellowmen. We must
ask God to give us the grace to see our neighbors as an extension of our
humanity. This parable teaches us the innate dignity of every person regardless of his circumstances,
health, social, physical, economic, religious, cultural and intellectual
position in life. Respect for the dignity of the human person means that
we must care for our neighbours especially those who are poor, sick and
suffering. It calls for respect for everyone, especially the
sacredness of life, the freedom and rights of every individual. It
is hoped that our Lenten fasting and penance will help us to open our hearts to
those who are suffering and that through helping them, we can meet Christ
personally.
Finally, this parable
urges us to search our hearts and purify our motives. The Lord said, “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.” There will be a final judgement after death. The soul
will survive after death and the decision we make on this earth cannot be
revoked after death. If we do not want to suffer the fate of the rich
man, let us take heed of the warning of our Lord to repent.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment