Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.
By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
A reflection on the daily readings, for Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, by Father Perry.
+ Unlike the apostles who heard Jesus speak about his impending suffering and death in yesterday’s Gospel — and his rising, too — they were most likely clueless about what it all meant; we will arrive at Holy Week and hear in detail about Jesus’ suffering and death not once, but twice: first on Palm Sunday (in the Gospel of St. Matthew) and then on Good Friday (in St. John’s Gospel).
We are not surprised; in fact, we expect to hear the story again as it has been our practice to do so all of our lives.
Today’s Gospel also speaks of the death of two individuals.
This teaching story explores first the lives and then the deaths of two very different men — one, very rich; the other, very poor.
Their stories intersect because of their shared moment in time when generous giving and grateful receiving could have happened; and as Jesus told it, should have happened.
But it did not.
The rich man was oblivious of the poor man’s suffering.
Interestingly, Jesus gives the poor man a name, and yet the rich man is nameless, but described even as to the color of his clothes and the extravagance of his meals.
In that contrast, we see both the cause and effect of sin — the one who sinfully refuses to do good, and the one who is hurt by the power of that sin.
A poor man named Lazarus.
Lazarus did not even get the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, and the dogs even came to lick his sores.
How sad!
But Jesus’ story ends quite differently.
God faithfully gives to Lazarus in the next life, whereas the rich man became destitute.
The ultimate comeuppance!
This story of Jesus, like so many stories in the Bible, was and is clearly a “wakeup call.”
In this dramatic Gospel threat a truth is being told.
Imagine the “heaven” that the rich man could have shared with Lazarus.
But instead, the rich man consigned Lazarus into a living hell. And it was in the rich man’s power to comfort a poor soul.
Instead, he did nothing to help — only to continue the hurt.
The prophet, Jeremiah.
