Reading
Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Meditation
The parable of the greedy rich man and the poor Lazarus is reported only in the Gospel of Luke, which emphasizes in a particular way God's attitude towards the poors, the anawin (Heb.), who speak in many psalms and who must be protected, according to the Mosaic law (Ex 22:21-24) and the prophetic literature (Am 5:10-12; Is 1:17; 58:7).
The Lazarus of this narrative is not the brother of Mary and Martha; his name meaning "God has helped" (Heb. Eleazar) is representative of his otherworldly destiny. The rich man, on the other hand, remains an anonymous figure; perhaps to emphasize that his fame has fallen into oblivion after his death.
The wounds with which the body of Lazarus is covered certainly made the protagonist of the parable hateful to the audience of Jesus, made up of Pharisees; they were in fact considered impure and a sign of divine reprobation. The "bosom of Abraham" is a Semitism to indicate the place of peace where the souls of the good await the resurrection, participating in the celestial banquet. Hell, literally "Hades" in the Greek text, represents in the New Testament the place where the souls of the wicked live awaiting the final judgment; here they are plagued by the torment of an unquenchable fire, which represents the accusation of conscience and the eternal separation from God.
The rich man does not seem to have changed his mentality, compared to when he was alive: he turns to Abraham by treating Lazarus as a servant. The wickedness of unrepentant sinners is not cleansed even by the flames of Hell. He continues, however, to call Abraham "father", just like those who call Jesus "Lord, Lord" but do not do his will ("Not whoever says to me," Lord, Lord "will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who do the will of my Father who is in heaven "; Mt 7:21).
The ending of the parable is a reminder not to wait for particular signs to change life, but to treasure the message of the Scriptures and the time we are given to convert and do God's will. Not even the resurrection of a dead person - and how not see a reference to the resurrection of Christ? - will in itself be able to arouse conversion of heart. Even the disciples of Emmaus will be "foolish and slow to believe" (Lk 24:25) until the Risen One explains to them everything that referred to him in the Scriptures.
In the light of the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we are called to question ourselves about our relationship with the goods of this world. We must avoid two extremes: on the one hand that of the "gospel of wellness", according to which wealth would be an unequivocal sign of God's blessing; on the other hand, that of pauperist idealism, according to which poverty in itself constitutes a pledge of salvation. What matters is whether we are able to place the wealth we have at the service of others, administering them generously; in this way they will become a source of blessing; but if we cling to them, even if they are things of little material value, they will become a snare that will prevent us from raising our soul to God.
We are therefore called to share. Let us not close our hearts to the poor who are standing in front of our door, because Christ is hiding in him, and affirms "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me" (Rev 3:20).
Prayer
Everything we possess, o Lord, we have received from you; make us wise and generous administrators and make us recognize your face in the poor and afflicted. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
