There is something deeply unsettling about the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
First, it’s interesting what Jesus omits from the story.
For example, we don’t know how Lazarus got into his situation.
Was he a good man that fell on hard times? Was he a profligate like the prodigal son who spent all his money wine, women and song? Does he have an addiction?
A mental illness?
Come to think of it, we don’t know much about the about the rich man either, not even his name.
There is a caution for us here. Remember that whenever a character in scripture is unnamed, the listener is supposed to see himself or herself in that role.
Still, we don’t know much about him. How did he get rich? Was he a businessman and a hard worker? Did he inherit his wealth? Was he a good man or an evil one?
We just don’t know.
And that’s the point for Jesus. None of that matters!
All that matters is that he was rich and Lazarus was poor.
It’s not like he kicked Lazarus every time he left his house, or cursed him, or muttered about him under his breath, saying, “Get a job!” .
He simply ignored him.
The rich man loses his salvation not for something he did, but something he did not do. It is a sin of omission.
This is very sobering and should make us think.
Think about how we began Mass today.
“I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done…and in what I have failed to do…. “
Yikes.
It’s not just enough to avoid the evil thing. It’s not even about doing the right thing.
It’s about doing the loving thing.
So how do we figure out what the loving thing is?
Thankfully, the Catholic Church has a very well developed body of social teaching. Many of you are familiar with it, but if not, it is easily googled. Catholic Social Teaching has seven main themes. These are:
- Life and Dignity of the Human Person
- Call to Family, Community, and Participation
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
- The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
- Solidarity
- Care for God’s Creation
You can find these all over the web and in the Catechism in paragraphs 1928 and following.
Here the Catechism reminds us that: “Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that ‘everyone should look upon his or her neighbor as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind their life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.’
It also reminds us that our relationship to others articulated in terms of ‘friendship’ or ‘social charity’ is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.
What is needed here is a change of heart. We need God’s grace to transform the way we see each other. Or to begin to help us to even see each other at all.
This coming liturgical year, we will be going through the Gospel of Matthew. In it, we will hear him say, “Whatsoever you did to the least of my brothers, you did for me.”
We are called not just to avoid the wrong thing.
Not even to do the right thing.
No, the Christian is called to go beyond the simple demands of justice.
We are called to do the loving thing, the merciful thing
On this our salvation rests.