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."
Lk 16: 19-31
The first reading from Amos and the Gospel share a common concern. Amos declares that lack of concern for others will not go unpunished by God. Luke states that an element of Christian discipleship is care for the poor and the outcasts.
The rich man remained unnamed. (Preachers though have named him “Dives” which is the Latin for “rich”). On the other hand, the poor man was given a name in the story, Lazarus. (He is not to be confused with Lazarus in John’s Gospel. In that gospel, he is certainly not poor. He also has two sisters, Martha and Mary, who would have surely taken care of him.) This shows reversal of values. The poor is given more importance than the rich.
Giving importance to the poor is a favorite them of St. Luke’s gospel. We find this in the Beatitudes and in the Canticle of Mary.
"Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh” (Lk 6:20-21).
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty” (Lk 1:52-53).
Does God love the poor because they are poor? Yes. And it is, I think, in this sense. Cardinal Sin used to say that he was his mother’s favorite because he was the ugliest child. (In reality, it was because he was a sickly child.) In the same way God loves the poor in the sense that it is they who need more attention than the rich.
Does this mean that God wants us to be poor? Of course not. Mother’s don’t want any of her children to be ugly or sickly.
Take note that the rich man was condemned to Hades not because he did anything bad to Lazarus. In fact, he did nothing to Lazarus. His was the sin of omission. He failed to do anything to alleviate the hardship of Lazarus. The rich man lacked compassion. Lazarus was just outside his home, at the door of his house. But he closes his eyes and his heart to him.
The Christian way is to use one’s money not only for oneself and also for others.
There is a place in Mabini, Batangas called “Little Italy”. You can easily set apart this barangay because of its beautiful houses. They belong to OFW’s who work in Italy. These OFW’s, however, do not only send money to build their houses but also for the construction of public buildings, like classrooms.
It is not unusual for an aunt or uncle who have to work to earn a living to sponsor the studies of a nephew or a niece.
Knowing how expensive it is to bury the dead, neighbors and friends willingly give their “abuloy” to help defray the expenses.
Sometimes, it is not a question of money. When I was small, a very strong ty-phoon struck Metro Manila. Our neighbor’s roof was made of nipa. It was easily blown away like a piece of paper. My mother welcomed them into our house and gave them a change of clothing.
A statement of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines is worth remembering: “No one is so poor as to be incapable of giving anything and no one is so rich as to be in need of nothing.”
While generosity is to be appreciated and promoted, it is also important not to create an attitude of perpetual dependence. The barangay captain of Little Italy laments the fact that since the OFW’s send money every month without fail, the people there have become lazy. They have found no reason to work anymore.
For this reason, GK does not just dole out houses to the poor. GK demands community participation. It requires the members of the community to do the work of building the houses that they will live in.
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