Meditation
for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
(Amos
6:1, 4-7; 1 Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31)
As I was meditating on the readings, the opening phrase of the gospel caught my attention; “Jesus said to the Pharisees…” This group were known for their love of money and honor (Lk 16:14-15). Jesus continued to correct their wrong idea of wealth as the ultimate sign that one is standing right before God. The message of prophet Amos about those who indulge themselves with pleasure, “And anoint themselves with finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph”, is further elaborated in the gospel. As those blinded by pleasure to the ruin of the house of Israel would go to exile, so did the rich man who neglected Lazarus ended in hades. This parable is relevant to us today as the pursuit of wellbeing in the midst of economic hardship has become our most re-occurring prayer point, and even the reason we pray.
Think about the life of affluence that brought the rich man to hades. He had all he needed and more, and he enjoyed his wealth to the fullest. His problem was not that he had wealth, but how he used it. Also, he went to hades not because he enjoyed himself, but because he neglected the poor man at his gate, and valued his dogs more than Lazarus! There are times we fall into this temptation, placing more value on things than human dignity. Think about the times when we value our personal gains and pleasure over truth, love, peace and unity. In each of these cases, there will always be a ‘poor Lazarus’ at our gate dying of hunger. To such people, Amos says, “They shall now be the first of those to go into exile.”
Meditate on the sufferings of Lazarus. Poverty, hunger and
wounds became his identity. We see in him the image of the suffering servant,
who shares in the sufferings of the Messiah. Lazarus did not go to Heaven because
he was poor, but because of the messianic dimension of his suffering. Lazarus
at the gate mirrored the life of Jesus, who came to his own and his own people
rejected him (Jn 1:11). He became a reflection of Jesus, who had nowhere to lay
his head (Mt 8:20), and was hungry and worn out (Mk 11:12; Phil 4:12). Lazarus
humbled himself like Jesus, who emptied Himself and took the form of a slave,
and without complaint and bitterness, “Desired to be fed with what fell from
the rich man’s table.” As Jesus was humbler even below the standard of a slave
(Phil 2: 7-8), Lazarus was reduced to a lower value in the eyes of the rich man
as the dogs licked his wounds…! In addition, the wounds of Lazarus became a participation
in the wounds of Jesus, of whom it was said, “Through His bruises you have been
healed” (1 Pet 2:24).
Think about the agonizing and shameful death of Jesus on
the Cross, and see through it the death of Lazarus in such a pitiable state.
Therefore, as Jesus Christ rose from the dead, triumphing over all the
sufferings and death, so did Lazarus find victory in the bosom of Abraham. Our journey
to eternal life begins now, to the extent that we live out in our mortal bodies
the life of Christ. That is why St Paul tells us in the second reading to, “Aim
at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” We do not
need anyone to come back from the grave to tell us to, “Fight the good fight of
faith”, and to be committed to our baptismal promises. The Cross of Christ is
the ladder with which we climb to victory and to eternal life. The rich man, in
his enjoyment and attitude to Lazarus, rejected the ‘way of the Cross’, which is
the only way we truly enjoy life, and live to the fullness of life. Amen.
Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday September 27, 2022.
