Homily on Mercy, Love and Compassion (based on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus; Luke 16: 19-31):
An angel appeared at a gathering and told the leader of the group that he had come to reward the leader for his years of devoted service. The leader was asked to choose one of three blessings: either infinite wealth/money, or infinite fame or infinite wisdom. Without hesitation, the leader asked for infinite wisdom. “You got it!” said the angel, and disappeared. All heads turned toward the leader, who sat glowing in the aura of wisdom. Finally one of his colleagues whispered, “Well, say something.” The leader looked at them and said, “I should have taken the money.”
“Money is not the root of all evil. The love of money is the root of all evil.”
Last week’s Gospel ended with: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us what happens as a consequence of loving money, pleasures and comforts of this life more than loving God and our neighbor.
The rich man went to the netherworld not because he was rich. No, it is because of his self-centered preoccupation with his own life and its pleasures. He was so spiritually blinded that he could not, would not even give a little attention to the needs of a poor man lying at his doorstep. That’s the reason he ended up in torment. That’s something all of us need to ponder because there might be a poor man at our own doorsteps.
From hell - the Rich Man raised his eyes and saw Lazarus. But you see – before - the Rich Man never saw Lazarus as a fellow human being. The Rich Man may have noticed Lazarus before but only as a stinky, beggar in dirty clothes begging for food.
In the Gospel we heard two Sundays ago, the Pharisees saw the people Jesus was eating with - only as tax collectors and sinners but God saw them as His children who had gotten lost and needed to be found. That’s the reason Jesus came, and that’s the reason he welcomed sinners and ate with them. He was trying to help them find their way back to God. This was something the Pharisees did not understand – the loving merciful heart of God – how He feels about His people…. about us….
When people hear the word “Mercy”, they often think only in terms of forgiveness… but mercy means also compassion, to “suffer with”, compassion particularly towards those who are in need in one form or another… all around us… even within our own family.
We say that God is compassionate, but we ignore the poor. We say that God loves us and has mercy on us, but we hold grudges against our relatives and friends. Our actions need to truly reflect God's mercy.
The parable in today’s Gospel tells us to open our eyes and our hearts to be more aware of the people around us who need our help. That person, that Lazarus at our gates, might be the means for our own salvation. The truth is - the poor people actually teach us how to love.
Certainly - many of us are living in a world that has provided well for our needs. We are fed, sheltered, supported by family and friends. There is really nothing wrong with all of these… We surely have a right to all of these. The question to us is: What are we doing for those to whom life has not been so kind? – What are we doing for the less fortunate?
Are we walking by the Lazaruses in our own community without seeing them as fellow human beings.
Are we quick to assume that the person begging at the street corner maybe a drug addict, or an alcoholic, perhaps a thief… or perhaps someone who is lazy or who has not worked hard enough?
Of course, we are not all called to be another Saint Teresa of Calcutta but her life of faith gives us a great example and insight into the heart of God.
As St. Teresa of Calcutta shared – that at the heart of her vocation is to respond to Jesus’ words “I thirst” on the cross – Jesus’ longing for the love of the broken bodies of the poor and His desire to offer Himself as spiritual drink to the poor. Jesus wants their love, and He wants to give Himself to them so that they would be free to give themselves back to Him… but the poor cannot - because they are hungry and suffering… They are more concerned about physically surviving.
The ultimate goal of our helping the poor – after providing them with their basic human needs – more importantly - is for the poor to also encounter and know Christ Who is the key to everything… With Christ, you have everything.
At the end of our lives, we are all going to be called to give an account for all that we have been given – either much or little. We need to be always reminded and challenged with this verse from the Gospel of Luke, 12:48: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” .. and we have all been given much more…
These words are frightening because they apply to us who live in the richest and most materialistic nation in the world.
What kind of sin the Rich Man ended up in Hell for? The sin of omission. We don't think about that, do we? Usually when we go to confession – if we go to Confession – that is another story - we say, "Father, I did this, I did that, I thought about this, I had too much of that,-- But again, the sin that sends the Rich Man to Hell, is actually his indifference to the poor… He is disconnected… He has no compassion…
It is not enough that you do not do bad things. The question is: Are you doing anything good for others who cannot pay you back?
My brothers and sisters - Are we not the “rich man?”
This famous Gospel parable challenges us, it does not condemn us. It is meant to bother us, to disturb us, to get under our skin, so to speak. What are we doing in our lives to take care of the poor?
Everyone of us here, when we stand before God on that day of judgment, will be judged on WHAT WE HAVE FAILED TO DO, not so much on what we have done. Sometimes we look at what we have done and say, "Oooh, look at what I have done or accomplished." When we focus on that, we forget what we have failed to do.
In Matthew’s Gospel: Jesus said, "I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do it to Me.”
In the Gospel reading, the rich man cried: “but if someone from the dead goes to my brothers, so that he may warn them, they will repent.”
Maybe, if someone were to rise from the dead, we would change our priorities. Maybe if someone were to rise from the dead we would be infinitely more concerned with the spiritual than we are with the physical. Maybe if someone were to rise from the dead we would use our gifts, our talents, our intelligence, and our possessions to reach out to others in need.
But you know what? Someone has already risen from the dead. He calls us to have faith in Him - instead of faith in our possessions. His name is Jesus – our brother. Today, we plead with Him to help us be truly Christians and merciful.
God bless…
Cycle C – 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
(Amos 6:1, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6: 11-16; Luke 16: 19-31)
