26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

September 26, 2010

by Reverend Deacon Lawrence A. St. Onge

There was a study done on human awareness, which was begun by interviewing people living below a very large dam, holding back millions of tons of water. People were asked about their level of concern about their safety living below this huge dam. Those living several miles below the dam had only minimal concern for their safety, but as we might expect, the level of concern increased in people living closer to the dam. But then something very interesting happened; the people who lived directly below the dam expressed no concern, whatsoever, about their safety! The answer is that, when a problem is overwhelmingly large, like that of a huge dam right there next to us, we just block it out. We cannot see it, or hear it. It’s like it doesn’t exist.

In the ancient Near Eastern world, the home of Amos the prophet of the first reading, St. Paul, from the second reading, and of Jesus, wealth was defined in terms of fine clothing, property, and gold or silver, and there was a sharp divide between the rich and poor. The rich were viewed as being blessed by God with the reward of wealth for their uprightness, while the poor were thought to be deserving of their lot. In order to close the gap and ease the lives of the poor, the rich were called to exercise charity, but not only that; they were also called to exercise justice. As members of the people of God, it was their obligation, as those who had to share with those who had not. The terms of their covenant with God demanded no less.

The concept of biblical justice is probably best described in the words of John R. Donahue – as “fidelity to the demands of a relationship.” That is, believers are bound by virtue of their faith in God to share with others the wealth that is God’s blessing. Their sharing, their justice, is intended to model the justice of God. Not to do justice toward one another, insists Donahue, is the equivalent of refusing to love and worship God.

Ultimately, all that we have belongs to God. We are all just stewards of His creation. And, this does not just refer to possessions, but also refers to the intelligence we possess, to the artistic talent we might have, the ability to lead that we might have, and so on. All that we have is God’s. It flows from Him and is only beneficial to us if it leads back to Him. We are all going to be called one day to give an account for all that we have been given. We are challenged with a frightening verse also from Luke’s Gospel: “To those who have been given much, a great account must be given.” This applies to the spiritual realm, in terms of the Grace of God we have received, as well as the physical realm, our material blessings. These words are indeed frightening because they apply to us who live in the richest and most materialistic country in the world.

We cannot allow our possessions to isolate us from the community. The great American spiritual writer, Thomas Merton, wrote: “No man [or woman] goes to heaven alone.” The reality is, we all receive our salvation as members of a community, the Body of Christ, of which we are all members.

In today’s first reading, Amos, the prophet, points out the existing problem. The rich were not hateful or hostile toward the poor; they were “complacent.” Perhaps they thought that there would be time enough to attend to the poor later on, or perhaps they thought someone else might be better suited for such service. It could be that their riches had become such a comfort that they just didn’t notice the plight of others around them who were less fortunate.

That would seem to be the case with the wealthy man in today’s gospel who was also, equally complacent. He wasn’t openly cruel to Lazarus; after all, he did allow him to shelter himself in his doorway. Although he did him no harm, neither did he do any good to the poor man, whose only kindness in this life came from the affection of dogs that licked his sores. The rich man in the gospel story is probably not an evil man. He is just self-satisfied and unaware. However, when both the rich man and Lazarus traveled the passage through death to everlasting life, their situations were dramatically, and for all time, reversed. The prophet Amos, too, had warned his rich contemporaries of similarly sad consequences of their life style.

Today’s readings confront us with a dire warning that our possessions can lead us to blindness and isolation, and ultimately to faithlessness. The one true need that we should have in life is to have a meaningful life, a purpose for our existence. Purpose and meaning, however, can only be found in God. But to possess God means that we must look beyond all that is mundane. Sometimes we fight this call to Love.  It is too demanding for us. And so, we try and hide behind all our stuff, and try to find meaning in all the things we have accumulated in this life. We try to let our material possessions define us. But, to do so, is to ultimately condemn ourselves to a life of futility and condemn ourselves to our own hells.

But maybe, though, if someone were to rise from the dead, we would change our life’s priorities. Maybe if someone were to rise from the dead, we would be considerably more concerned with the spiritual than 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 the presence of God in the people around us. “If only someone would rise from the dead, my brothers would change their lives,” cried the rich man.

Abraham’s reply should make us shake in our boots. “If they have not listened to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to someone who rises from the dead.” It is of course Jesus telling the story. Jesus is going to die and rest in Abraham’s bosom. Jesus knows that when he rises again and shows himself to us, it will not, necessarily, make a lasting impression on us. This is one of the darker things that Jesus says in the Gospel. Is it true? Is this the way we are, we who are the brothers and sisters of the rich man?

It isn’t meant to be so. St. Paul reminds Timothy and us in today’s second reading of the noble profession of faith in Jesus that we made at our baptism. We pledged that Jesus would be our blessed and only ruler, the Lord of lords in our living and life. So, like Jesus, we are to live in integrity, piety, faith, love, and steadfastness – and all in a gentle spirit.

Jesus has come back from the dead and appears to us here and now. He appears in his suffering people, he appears as poor Lazarus. He appears, also, in the Holy Eucharist – His Flesh and Blood –  given to feed and strengthen us so that we might live like him and not end up in that place of torment. So that we might share our lives and ourselves with others as he is doing with us. So, like him, we too, will ultimately find refuge at last in the bosom of Abraham.