Pope Gregory the Great sent missionaries to England in the year 597 to convert the Angles and Saxons to the Christian faith. When King Edwin heard the gospel message, he held a council of his nobles to discuss this new religion. One wise nobleman concluded the discussion, “Your majesty, it seems to me that our human life is like a banquet hall. You are sitting at table feasting, with the warm fire blazing in the hearth, while outside the wintry storm rages. A sparrow enters through a window, flies the length of the hall, enjoying the light and warmth, and then flies out back into the cold wintry darkness from which it came. So with us. At birth we emerge from who knows where, and for a short time we live here on earth, with its light and comfort, but then we fly out back into the darkness. We know nothing of what went before and what comes after. If this new teaching can lighten the darkness for us, let us follow it.”
The good news is that this new teaching does lighten the darkness for us. By his death and resurrection, Jesus has revealed that there is new life beyond the threshold of death and many who have had near death experiences testify to the beauty that awaits those who seek to be there.
But in this parable Jesus also cautions that not everyone will spend eternity in such a blissful place with Lazarus for not everyone seeks to be there. More than once, Jesus reminds his listeners of a place that is quite different, a place of torment for those who have no interest in “what comes after.”
The unnamed rich man in today’s parable was one such person. He sees no further than the present moment, immensely enjoying the comforts and pleasures of his lifestyle. He cannot imagine that there is a “before” or an “after.” Or if there is, he doesn’t conceive that his earthly life will affect his afterlife. That was a common mindset in biblical times. The Sadducees believed that everyone, good and bad alike, went to Hades for there was neither reward nor punishment in the afterlife.
Unlike King Edwin and his noblemen, the rich man gives little thought to the afterlife. He represents the mindset of many in modern society who live for the moment, endeavoring to get the most out of this life. The rich man would feel very much at home in our 21st century consumer-oriented society, which often defines people by how much they earn, consume, and spend.
Obviously he is aware of the poor man lying at his door, since in Hades, he recognizes Lazarus and even calls him by name. But in this lifetime, he simply doesn’t care about him for he cannot see beyond himself. Totally caught up in his own pleasures and pursuits, the rich man’s lifestyle is one of conspicuous consumption.
He does no harm to Lazarus. So far as we can tell, he was never violent or abusive toward this poor man. He simply ignores him. He never thinks that such actions in this life will have any meaning, significance, or lasting consequences for him. One obvious message we can glean from this parable is that our actions in this lifetime will impact our future.
Once he discovers the error of his ways, the rich man then believes that a person rising from the dead can convince his brothers to change their ways but Abraham is unconvinced. After all, they have the Law of Moses and the prophets, who, like Amos, speak long and loud about the dangers of being complacent and not caring for the poor. And if they won’t listen to the ancient prophets, they aren’t likely to listen to the one who will rise from the dead. Another message to consider is this: whom do we listen to? What values do we live by? By ignoring the Law of Moses and the prophets, the rich man ignored God’s vision for humanity. He chooses instead to look only for himself and to his own comfort.Consequently, he was guilty of the sin of omission.
Amos, Moses, the other prophets and Jesus all challenge us to a deeper truth. Instead of being complacent, we are challenged to confront injustice, poverty, and exploitation. Being truly human means living with a commitment to and concern for others. The corporal works of mercy remind us of different ways we can care for others.e
To reduce life to physical pleasure and consumerism is in fact to live an impoverished life. To live only for oneself and purely for this life as the rich man did is to cheapen what it means to be human. The light of the gospel has dispelled the potential darkness of our lifetime by revealing to us the true meaning of life. Namely, that practical love of neighbor leads to a fuller and more satisfying experience of life in the here and now, as well as in the life to come.
Many people, including some Catholics, dismiss the notion of hell but our Catechism cautions, “Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.This state of self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘hell.” (1033)
In this parable, Jesus isn’t condemning those who are wealthy or praising those who are poor. His concern is the harm that being complacent can do to us. Like Timothy, we are urged to pursue a life of virtue. At the end of our lives,our divine judgment, may the wealth of our estate be measured in piety, faith, love, integrity, gentleness and charity, rather than in dollars and cents.