From: Luke 16:19-31
Lazarus and the Rich Man
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
19-31. This parable disposes of two errors—that of those who denied the survival
of the soul after death and, therefore, retribution in the next life; and that of those
who interpreted material prosperity in this life as a reward for moral rectitude, and
adversity as punishment. This parable shows that, immediately after death, the
soul is judged by God for all its acts—the “particular judgment”—and is rewarded
or punished; and that divine revelation is by itself sufficient for men to be able to
believe in the next life.
In another area, the parable teaches the innate dignity of every human person,
independently of his social, financial, cultural or religious position. And respect
for this dignity implies that we must help those who are experiencing any mate-
rial or spiritual need: “Wishing to come down to topics that are practical and of
some urgency, the Council lays stress on respect for the human person: every-
one should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as another self, bea-
ring in mind above all his life and the means necessary for living it in a dignified
way lest he follow the example of the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor
man” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 27).
Another practical consequence of respect for others is proper distribution of ma-
terial resources and protection of human life, even unborn life, as Paul VI pleaded
with the General Assembly of the United Nations: “Respect for life, even with re-
gard to the great problem of the birth rate, must find here in your assembly its
highest affirmation and its most reasoned defense. You must strive to multiply
bread so that it suffices for the tables of mankind, and not rather favor an artifi-
cial control of birth, which would be irrational, in order to diminish the number of
guests at the banquet of life” (”Address to the UN”, 4 October 1965).
21. Apparently this reference to the dogs implies not that they alleviated Laza-
rus’s sufferings but increased them, in contrast with the rich man’s pleasure: to
the Jews dogs were unclean and therefore were not generally used as domestic
animals.
22-26. Earthly possession, as also suffering, are ephemeral things: death marks
their end, and also the end of our testing-time, our capacity to sin or to merit re-
ward for doing good; and immediately after death we begin to enjoy our reward
or to suffer punishment, as the case may be. The Magisterium of the Church has
defined that the souls of all who die in the grace of God enter Heaven, immedia-
tely after death or after first undergoing a purging, if that is necessary. “We be-
lieve in eternal life. We believe that the souls of all those who die in the grace of
Christ — whether they must still make expiation in the fire of Purgatory, or whe-
ther from the moment they leave their bodies they are received by Jesus into Pa-
radise like the Good Thief—go to form that people of God which succeeds death,
death which will be totally destroyed on the day of the resurrection when these
souls are reunited with their bodies” (Paul VI, “Creed of the People of God”, 28).
The expression of “Abraham’s bosom” refers to the place or state “into which the
souls of the just, before the coming of Christ the Lord were received, and where,
without experiencing any sort of pain, but supported by the blessed hope of re-
demption, they enjoyed peaceful repose. To liberate these holy souls, who, in
the bosom of Abraham were expecting the Savior, Christ the Lord descended in-
to hell” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 6, 3).
22. “Both the rich man and the beggar died and were carried before Abraham,
and there judgment was rendered on their conduct. And the Scripture tells us
that Lazarus found consolation, but that the rich man found torment. Was the
rich man condemned because he had riches, because he abounded in earthly
possessions, because he ‘dressed in purple and linen and feasted sumptuously
every day’? No, I would say that it was not for this reason. The rich man was con-
demned because he did not pay attention to the other man, because he failed to
take notice of Lazarus, the person who sat at his door and who longed to eat the
scraps from his table. Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of
earthly goods as such. Instead, He pronounces very harsh words against those
who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the
needs of others[...].”
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus must always be present in our memory;
it must form our conscience. Christ demands openness to our brothers and sis-
ters in need—openness from the rich, the affluent, the economically advantaged;
openness to the poor, the underdeveloped and the disadvantaged. Christ de-
mands an openness that is more than benign attention, more than token actions
or half-hearted efforts that leave the poor as destitute as before or even more so
[...].
“We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our riches and freedom, if, in any place, the
Lazarus of the Twentieth Century stands at our doors. In the light of the parable
of Christ, riches and freedom mean a special responsibility. Riches and freedom
create a special obligation. And so, in the name of the solidarity that binds us
all together in a common humanity, I again proclaim the dignity of every human
person: the rich man and Lazarus are both human beings, both of them equally
created in the image and likeness of God, both of them equally redeemed by
Christ, at a great price of the ‘precious blood of Christ’ (1 Peter 1:19)” (Bl. John
Paul II, “Homily in Yankee Stadium”, 2 October 1979).
24-31. The dialogue between the rich man and Abraham is a dramatization aimed
at helping people remember the message of the parable: strictly speaking, there
is no room in Hell for feelings of compassion toward one’s neighbor: in Hell hatred
presides. “When Abraham said to the rich man ‘between us and you a great
chasm has been fixed...’ he showed that after death and resurrection there will be
no scope for any kind of penance. The impious will not repent and enter the King-
dom, nor will the just sin and go down into Hell. This is the unbridgeable abyss”
(Aphraates, “Demonstratio”, 20; “De Sustentatione Egenorum”, 12). This helps
us to understand what St. John Chrysostom says: “I ask you and I beseech you
and, falling at your feet, I beg you: as long as we enjoy the brief respite of life, let
us repent, let us be converted, let us become better, so that we will not have to
lament uselessly like that rich man when we die and tears can do us no good.
For even if you have a father or a son or a friend or anyone else who [has] influ-
ence with God, no one will be able to set you free, for your own deeds condemn
you” (”Hom. on 1 Cor.”).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
First reading | Jeremiah 17:5-10 © |
---|
Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 © |
---|
Gospel Acclamation | Lk15:18 |
---|
Or | cf.Lk8:15 |
---|
Gospel | Luke 16:19-31 © |
---|