LEARNING FROM THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS - 9/25/22 (Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Luke 16:19-21

“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092522.cfm

Blessed Sunday! To praise God is what brings true and lasting happiness in our souls. Its because we are made by God for Him, and God desires to bring us to heaven where we can love Him and be united with Him forever. This world where we suffer is not our permanent home. However, there are times that the riches of a person can be an obstacle for this person to be truly happy with God in heaven. We can see this in the parable where Lazarus, the poor and sick man, entered the Paradise while the rich man experienced torments, an imagery of hell. At the same time, there are lessons that God desires for us to learn from them. 

Let's look at the rich man. Some of us may say that that there is no need to look at the sinful example of the rich man. But, it is also essential for us to avoid sins and for us to see in what ways we are similar to him. The parable does not say that having riches are automatically wrong. But, the rich man just used it for his own satisfaction instead of using it for God's glory and for helping the needy, like Lazarus. God gives many blessings to us. But, it's not because we should indulge on pleasures or just use it to buy extravagant things. Everything we have should be used for us to be closer to God, and Jesus is inviting us to intentionally make a way to help the poor and the least with the blessings that we obtain from God. 

When we ponder on the example of Lazarus, it was an imagery of sufferings. All of us suffer in life, but God is telling us to have hope no matter how worse our sufferings are because He can always transform those sufferings to be steps towards heaven. Even though Lazarus did not have richness, he became rich in heaven in contrast to the rich man. When we suffer, let's remember the Kingdom of Heaven that awaits for people who trust in God. May we pray with devotion, especially the "Our Father" prayer that speaks of the coming of His Kingdom for us to desire heaven even more. Also, unlike the rich man, it's implied that Lazarus was faithful to God's will and teachings. No matter how many trials we experience, let's not neglect the importance of prayers, of sacraments such as confession and the Mass, and the teachings of Christ and the Church. God will fill us with His love and help us to attain the promise of heaven where we can join all the saints and angels praising and loving God. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/