Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke16,19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘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.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'”
Very fine linen
1. A rich man. Jesus does not give this man’s name, for you may fill in the text with your name or mine. It means that we all place our security in some kind of wealth, which is not necessarily money, but can be a person or a thing. It’s like when you cling so much to something or someone that you think you have it all. Over time, life will show you that holding on so tightly to something or someone, without looking to heaven, and to those around you, ends up causing you some sort of agony in the future. Be careful! You might fall into indifference; you don’t see the needy, those who suffer. Don’t be indifferent to those who really need you. Check to see if you have clung to something or someone, analyze if you have tied your life to a person, or to money or a car, or if you have clung to a situation, because all this will pass, and your life will also pass.
2. In torment. When you cling obsessively to something or someone, sooner or later you end up realizing that you are alone. Because that something or someone you were holding onto is temporary, either because the person dies or because you feel disillusioned. That’s when you begin to feel in torment, you feel immersed in nothingness, and you begin to look for someone to fill that place. Jesus shows that there should be a limit here. People cannot be the object of your obsession or the soothing of your needs. We all have a life that is meant to be lived and shared, not absorbed, or diminished by another.
3. If they will not listen. It is striking that in the final part of this Gospel Jesus continues not calling the rich man by name. Because there are people who are not capable of letting go of anything, not even in the midst of torment. There are people who try harder to hold on than to let go and don’t understand that life implies letting go. When you don’t dare to let go and you insist on retaining everything and everyone, then even God can’t enter. And that’s because you don’t let him in, because God becomes an element in your project, someone who must fulfill your wishes, instead of being the foundation of your life project.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
