From: Luke 16:19-31

Lazarus and the Rich Man

(Jesus told them this parable:) [19] “There was a rich man, who was clothed in
purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his
gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, [21] who desired to be fed
with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his
sores . [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bo-
som. The rich man also died and was buried; [23] and in Hades, being in torment,
he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. [24]
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to
dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this
flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received
your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted
here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides in all this, between us and you a
great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you
may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ [27] And he said, ‘Then I
beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house, [28] for I have five brothers, so
that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ [29] But
Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ [30] And
he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they
will repent.’ [31] He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, nei-
ther will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.’”

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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 rewar-
ded 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 material
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: everyone
should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as another self, bearing 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” (Vati-
can 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 plea-
ded with the General Assembly of the United Nations: “Respect for life, even with
regard 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 Lazarus’
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 ani-
mals.

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, immediate-
ly after death or after first undergoing a purging, if that is necessary. “We believe
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 whether from
the moment they leave their bodies they are received by Jesus into Paradise 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)” (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.”).

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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.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Amos 6:1,4-7 ©

The almighty Lord says this:

Woe to those ensconced so snugly in Zion

and to those who feel so safe on the mountain of Samaria,

those famous men of this first of nations

to whom the House of Israel goes as client.

Lying on ivory beds

and sprawling on their divans,

they dine on lambs from the flock,

and stall-fattened veal;

they bawl to the sound of the harp,

they invent new instruments of music like David,

they drink wine by the bowlful,

and use the finest oil for anointing themselves,

but about the ruin of Joseph they do not care at all.

That is why they will be the first to be exiled;

the sprawlers’ revelry is over.

Psalm

Psalm 145:6-10 ©

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who keeps faith for ever,

who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

and upholds the widow and orphan.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

It is the Lord who loves the just

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

Zion’s God, from age to age.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.

Alleluia!

Second reading

1 Timothy 6:11-16 ©

As a man dedicated to God, you must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. Now, before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who at the due time will be revealed

by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,

the King of kings and the Lord of lords,

who alone is immortal,

whose home is in inaccessible light,

whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:

to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Or	2Co8:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus Christ was rich,

but he became poor for your sake,

to make you rich out of his poverty.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘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.”’