26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
26 September 2010
First reading Amos 6:1,4-7
The almighty Lord says this:
Woe to those ensconced so snugly in Zion
and to those who feel so safe on the mountain of Samaria,
those famous men of this first of nations
to whom the House of Israel goes as client.
Lying on ivory beds
and sprawling on their divans,
they dine on lambs from the flock,
and stall-fattened veal;
they bawl to the sound of the harp,
they invent new instruments of music like David,
they drink wine by the bowlful,
and use the finest oil for anointing themselves,
but about the ruin of Joseph they do not care at all.
That is why they will be the first to be exiled;
the sprawlers’ revelry is over.
Psalm: Psalm 145:6-10
Second reading 1 Timothy 6:11-16
As a man dedicated to God, you must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. Now, before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.
Gospel Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”
‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them..” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
Reflection
By Pam Manzano
The poor are often condemned, neglected and looked-down at. They are always the last on a long list of those who are of importance. They are the ones who constantly receive injustice, victims of the worst stereotyping, and unjust outright judging.
Many people claim that they haven’t done anything wrong for the longest time but are guilty for not doing anything for the less fortunate. I can see a lot of people who always try to ignore the sickened call of the poor. Many believers are expecting to be rewarded with happiness and glory come the right time but have not showed other people the very requisites to our salvation: charity and justice.
As in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man had plenty and Lazarus was devoid of anything, all he wanted was just to eat the small pieces of food that fell off the rich man’s table. When they died, Lazarus was carried by the angels to the arms of Abraham while the rich man was brought into the place of the dead where he suffered so much pain. Here, Jesus tells us that the time will come wherein the uncompassionate rich will die and be deprived of happiness and glory; a punishment for their oppression to the lower classes and for all the injustices they have committed. While the steadfast poor will go to heaven to enjoy all the good things eternal life has to offer.
He who is generous receives more from God and he who is practicing injustice is condemning himself. God is calling us to stop being selfish people. The Gospel is reminding us that we need to practice charity and justice not just on those who are close to us but to every single soul that needs our help. It is time for us to make a reality check about our actions and our lives if we are obeying God’s commandment to love one another as we love ourselves. It is about time to start thinking about our life to come after we have served our purpose here on earth.
The choice is ours. Are we going to be like the rich man who indulged himself in all the worldly things and oppressed the poor and needy or be like Lazarus who faithfully and earnestly trusted God with all his being?
The poor will always be here on earth to give an opportunity to those who have more than them to show generosity and love. Are we in? Remember, a man’s life does not end after he dies on earth.
The good thing is even if we are guilty in one way or another for acting like the rich man in the Gospel, it is never too late for us to have a change of heart and begin a life that is overflowing with God’s charity and justice for all. After all our shortcomings, we still have a chance. Isn’t our God so great?
Heavenly Father, we ask for Your forgiveness. Help us live a life overflowing with love, charity and justice for other people. Teach us how to be humble and reach out to the people who need our help. Let Your light shine through and upon us, oh God, that we may be a blessing not just to several people but to the entire race. AMEN.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Do I Believe?
All I can say is "Amen"!
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