Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
208. MONEY AND FIRE (LK 16:19-31)
“Girding our loins then with faith and the observance of good deeds let us so follow his paths under the guidance of the gospel that we may be worthy to see him who has called us into his kingdom.”
- St Benedict
Luke 16:19-31
‘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.’
CHRIST THE LORD Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew that he would suffer, die, and “rise from the dead.” And he knew that even then many would not believe in him. He is like a King who is determined to free a captive people from slavery, knowing that once he does, many of them will go off and enslave themselves again. So why go to all the trouble? For the few who will not leave him. Even if one person – you – could be reunited to God through his passion, death, and resurrection, it would be worth it. The value of one soul is a concept that eludes the modern mind, affected so profoundly by polls and percentages, but it is at the center of God’s heart. Because his love is not limited by time and space, he is able to love each person with a personal, intimate, determined attention.
This simultaneous universality and individuality of God’s love is mirrored in the two great vocations of the Church: marriage and celibacy. Marriage establishes the deep and almost unbreakable bond of family love, highly personal and intimate. Celibacy shows forth the universal extension of God’s love, which plays no favorites and excludes no one.
“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Love moves our Lord, and love never gives up. If we are faithful followers, we should faithfully follow in his steps of self-forgetful love.
CHRIST THE TEACHER Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees. A few verses earlier, St Luke points out that they “loved money, heard all this, and laughed at him.” They were the religious and intellectual elite of Palestine. Everyone respected them; everyone revered them. They were sought after as teachers and leaders of synagogues – they were the ones who had all the right degrees, had gone to all the right schools, got all the top jobs…. They had it made. And Christ reminds them of a lesson that the successful of this world too easily forget: this world is not all there is. In fact, it is bound to disappear, giving way to either eternal reward or regret. The purpose of this world is to prepare us for heaven, but if we get attached to it, we may never make it to heaven.
And that would be the real tragedy, because heaven is where the soul lives in perfect communion with God – which is what the soul was created for. Outside of heaven, there is only the frustration of unfulfilled longings – more painful than even the most parched physical thirst. Christ could not have been clearer about this, and yet so many still refuse to listen.
CHRIST THE FRIEND Perhaps Christ’s greatest act of charity was his patient effort to win over the hearts of the self-satisfied Pharisees. Many of them showed no sign of respect or even mild interest in the truth of his claims, and yet he kept buffeting them with parables and miracles, desperately hoping that they would let in the light of his grace. Christ commanded his disciples to love their enemies, to forgive those who persecuted them, and he shows them how – by being a true friend to his most vicious antagonists.
He continues this conquest of love. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Jesus continues to go after every single soul. He wants to hold each one close to his heart, just as Lazarus was held close in Abraham’s bosom. It is God’s will that none be lost. His mission is to draw all men to himself. This is the desire in the heart of our Friend, and if we are to be faithful, it should become our desire too, for he has given us a share in this same mission of gathering souls to the bosom of the Father.
CHRIST IN MY LIFE Because you love me, you created me. Because you love me, you gave me the gift of faith. Because you love me, you surround me with innumerable gifts of love, you involve me in your own mission of building up the eternal Kingdom, and you never tire of guiding me to a more fruitful, virtuous life. Open my eyes, Lord, so that I can see the beauty of your love…
So many people live as if this life were all there is. Why? Why don’t we believe in heaven and hell? I admit, it’s possible to get obsessed with the afterlife, but it would be a foolish traveler who kept moving ahead every day without ever thinking about his destination. Keep me in tune with the truth, Lord, and teach me to bear witness with courage and love…
Who are my enemies, my antagonists? Do I love them as you loved yours? The Pharisees didn’t give you warm, fuzzy feelings, but you loved them all the same. You went out of your way to give them what they most needed – a vision of your love and truth. Teach me to love as you love and to give as you give…
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?
2. How do you think Jesus hoping the Pharisees would react to this parable? How is he hoping we will react to it?
3. Why do you think inordinate love for money make it so hard for the Pharisees to receive Christ’s message?
4. How should the reality of heaven, hell, and purgatory (all revealed doctrines of the Church) impact our day-to-day lives?
Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2443-2449 on love for the poor; 2405-2418 on a Christian’s use of material goods; 2534-2550 on love for money; 1020-1050 on death, judgment, hell, purgatory, and heaven
“Girding our loins then with faith and the observance of good deeds let us so follow his paths under the guidance of the gospel that we may be worthy to see him who has called us into his kingdom.”
- St Benedict
Luke 16:19-31
‘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.’
CHRIST THE LORD Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew that he would suffer, die, and “rise from the dead.” And he knew that even then many would not believe in him. He is like a King who is determined to free a captive people from slavery, knowing that once he does, many of them will go off and enslave themselves again. So why go to all the trouble? For the few who will not leave him. Even if one person – you – could be reunited to God through his passion, death, and resurrection, it would be worth it. The value of one soul is a concept that eludes the modern mind, affected so profoundly by polls and percentages, but it is at the center of God’s heart. Because his love is not limited by time and space, he is able to love each person with a personal, intimate, determined attention.
This simultaneous universality and individuality of God’s love is mirrored in the two great vocations of the Church: marriage and celibacy. Marriage establishes the deep and almost unbreakable bond of family love, highly personal and intimate. Celibacy shows forth the universal extension of God’s love, which plays no favorites and excludes no one.
“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Love moves our Lord, and love never gives up. If we are faithful followers, we should faithfully follow in his steps of self-forgetful love.
CHRIST THE TEACHER Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees. A few verses earlier, St Luke points out that they “loved money, heard all this, and laughed at him.” They were the religious and intellectual elite of Palestine. Everyone respected them; everyone revered them. They were sought after as teachers and leaders of synagogues – they were the ones who had all the right degrees, had gone to all the right schools, got all the top jobs…. They had it made. And Christ reminds them of a lesson that the successful of this world too easily forget: this world is not all there is. In fact, it is bound to disappear, giving way to either eternal reward or regret. The purpose of this world is to prepare us for heaven, but if we get attached to it, we may never make it to heaven.
And that would be the real tragedy, because heaven is where the soul lives in perfect communion with God – which is what the soul was created for. Outside of heaven, there is only the frustration of unfulfilled longings – more painful than even the most parched physical thirst. Christ could not have been clearer about this, and yet so many still refuse to listen.
CHRIST THE FRIEND Perhaps Christ’s greatest act of charity was his patient effort to win over the hearts of the self-satisfied Pharisees. Many of them showed no sign of respect or even mild interest in the truth of his claims, and yet he kept buffeting them with parables and miracles, desperately hoping that they would let in the light of his grace. Christ commanded his disciples to love their enemies, to forgive those who persecuted them, and he shows them how – by being a true friend to his most vicious antagonists.
He continues this conquest of love. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Jesus continues to go after every single soul. He wants to hold each one close to his heart, just as Lazarus was held close in Abraham’s bosom. It is God’s will that none be lost. His mission is to draw all men to himself. This is the desire in the heart of our Friend, and if we are to be faithful, it should become our desire too, for he has given us a share in this same mission of gathering souls to the bosom of the Father.
CHRIST IN MY LIFE Because you love me, you created me. Because you love me, you gave me the gift of faith. Because you love me, you surround me with innumerable gifts of love, you involve me in your own mission of building up the eternal Kingdom, and you never tire of guiding me to a more fruitful, virtuous life. Open my eyes, Lord, so that I can see the beauty of your love…
So many people live as if this life were all there is. Why? Why don’t we believe in heaven and hell? I admit, it’s possible to get obsessed with the afterlife, but it would be a foolish traveler who kept moving ahead every day without ever thinking about his destination. Keep me in tune with the truth, Lord, and teach me to bear witness with courage and love…
Who are my enemies, my antagonists? Do I love them as you loved yours? The Pharisees didn’t give you warm, fuzzy feelings, but you loved them all the same. You went out of your way to give them what they most needed – a vision of your love and truth. Teach me to love as you love and to give as you give…
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?
2. How do you think Jesus hoping the Pharisees would react to this parable? How is he hoping we will react to it?
3. Why do you think inordinate love for money make it so hard for the Pharisees to receive Christ’s message?
4. How should the reality of heaven, hell, and purgatory (all revealed doctrines of the Church) impact our day-to-day lives?
Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2443-2449 on love for the poor; 2405-2418 on a Christian’s use of material goods; 2534-2550 on love for money; 1020-1050 on death, judgment, hell, purgatory, and heaven