Date: Sunday, September 25, 2016
All our talk on God’s mercy can give the impression that everything depends on God. God never tires of forgiving. What is overlooked or forgotten is the critical part we play – being open to, asking for, receiving and sharing God’s precious gift of mercy. The parable of Jesus is a cautionary tale. After dying, poor Lazarus finds himself in the “bosom of Abraham.” The unnamed rich man ends in the netherworld – a place of torment. The parable suggests there will be a time when we will not be able to bridge the chasm, the abyss, and enjoy a place at God’s heavenly banquet.
The rich man’s sin is not possessing wealth or cruelty. He shows kindness and concern for his surviving brothers. His sin is indifference! Although Lazarus is lying at his door, the rich man carries on as if Lazarus did not exist. Even from the netherworld he wants to use Lazarus as a servant to quench his thirst and then as a messenger to warn his brothers. The rich man did not understand that everything he claims for himself is really entrusted to him to share. We are all stewards of God’s bounty, of divine blessings.
Henri Nouwen was a popular Dutch priest and spiritual director who lived much of his life in the United States. For a period of time he lived near us at the Cistercian monastery, Abbey of the Genesee, Piffard, NY. I met him there. He coined the phrase: “wounded healer.” Later in life Henri became chaplain to a L’Arche community in Canada living with mentally handicapped adults. His last writings gave expression to being “beloved of God” and to his awareness of his own mortality. He spoke of “befriending” one’s death as a “new way for us to send our own and God’s spirit to those whom we loved and who loved us.” It is akin to Jesus on the cross just before his last breath crying out: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23: 46)
Our parable is a cautionary tale. Are we living so pre-occupied, so self-absorbed that we fail to notice Lazarus nearby? The name “Lazarus” means “God is my help.” It is the only time in all the parables of Jesus that a character in the story or illustration is named! We are God’s helpers.