Honoring the Body of Christ in Lazarus Am 6:1,4-71; 1Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31 (26 /C)

 

Honoring the Body of Christ in Lazarus

Am 6:1,4-71; 1Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31 (26 /C)

“Whoever gives you a drink of water in my name, will not lose his reward, says the Lord” (DO)

 

The Gospel of Luke is often referred to as the Gospel of the poor. It consistently highlights God’s preferential love for the poor (Lk 4:18; 6:20). Accordingly, the whole gospel reflects upon the poor and the marginalized. The name Lazarus in today’s gospel is taken from the Hebrew name Eliezer, meaning “God is my help” or “God will help”. The scene of the Gospel is presented as Lazarus, the beggar, covered with ulcerated sores, amid the dogs, sitting in the bosom of Abraham, and the rich man in torment. Why was it so? Luke the evangelist does not show the rich man chasing Lazarus out of his gate. Neither did he object to his receiving the bread flung away from his table, nor was he deliberately cruel to him. What was the sin of the rich man, then?

From an anthropological perspective, this parable reminds us that every human being is fragile, finite, and destined for death. Lazarus, lying at the gate, covered in sores, ignored by the world, represents the poor, suffering, frail, hungry, and finally ignored, retains the dignity of a child of God. The rich man represents a humanity that forgets its relational nature, closing itself in self-sufficiency. Vatican II reminds us in Gaudium et Spes that “man… cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself” (GS 24). The tragedy of the rich man is not that he had wealth, but that he failed to give at least some attention and concern to his fellow human brother to make him better himself at the gate. The rich man is not condemned for being wealthy, but for being blind and deaf, to make him stand by himself in sufferings. He had the voice of Moses, Amos, the prophets, and the Word of God calling for mercy and justice, but he neglected them. And so, even if one were to rise from the dead, he would not believe. This is a warning for us to be attentive to the word of God. The time for grasping it is now, not tomorrow.

Secondly, this parable echoes the consistent message. God lifts the poor and casts down the proud (Lk 1: Ps 113:7). Vatican II insists on the sufficiency and authority of God’s Word. In Dei Verbum, we are told that Scripture is given “for our salvation” (DV 11). We are warned not to wait for signs, but to let the Word we hear each Sunday transform us now. From the lens of the Church’s social teaching, the parable becomes even more urgent. Vatican II teaches that “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (Gaudium et Spes, 1). The Council also emphasizes that the goods of the earth are destined for all: “God intended the earth with everything contained in it for the use of all human beings and peoples” (Gaudium et Spes, 69). Wealth, therefore, is a stewardship, not a private fortress. To ignore Lazarus is to ignore Christ himself. Respecting Lazarus is to help the poor become independent breadwinners and not dependent beggars for life.

St. John Chrysostom asked: “Do you want to honor the body of Christ? Do not neglect him when he is naked. Do not honor him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside suffering from cold and nakedness.” It calls for love of conscientizing the poor to become contributors rather than recipients. Lumen Gentium reminds us that the Church is a sacrament of unity with God and of the unity of the whole human race (LG 1). She “recognizes that she is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds” (GS 1). If we truly are one Body in Christ, then Lazarus is our body or brother. His suffering is our responsibility. The parable is not given to frighten us but to awaken us. The great chasm that separated the rich man and Lazarus in eternity was dug already during life by indifference, blindness, neglect, and hardness of heart. But the Gospel offers us hope. Today, in this life, that chasm can still be crossed by the love of education, solidarity, and conversion. May the Lord give us the grace to receive them in Christ and thus prepare for the eternal banquet where he himself will welcome us.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” (Mt 25:45)