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"Dives and Lazarus"
by Veronese Bonifacio, 1540 |
Readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Thus says the Lord the God of hosts:
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.
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Commentary on Am 6:1a, 4-7
In his third "woe,” the prophet Amos warns his own people in the south, through his criticism of the rich and complacent people of the northern kingdom. There are two fragments laid out in this selection. The moral argument is they have lavished themselves in luxury (this includes the people in exile) and have ignored the plight of the poor - a religious duty. The Assyrians have already started their aggression ("Pass over to Calneh and see, go from there to Hamath the great, and down to Gath of the Philistines." Amos 6:2a), and it is clear that their neighbors have not heeded this threat. The broader message is to remain vigilant and faithful, following the commandments of hospitality and charity.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who were bowed down;
the Lord loves the just.
The Lord protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
In this hymn of praise, we find the historical view of God’s attributes as envisioned by the Hebrew people. The psalmist catalogs the mercy of God’s salvation (gives sight to the blind, raises those who were bowed down [the oppressed]) using imagery borrowed by the prophets and imagery used much later by Gospel authors as well.
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Reading II: 1 Timothy 6:11-16
But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
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Commentary on 1 Tm 6:11-16
St. Paul exhorts Timothy to the absolute faithfulness demanded by his position. He concludes this exhortation with what appears to be part of a liturgical prayer from the period. It is most likely that the commandment he speaks of is the requirement to keep God first in his life. The passage concludes with an eloquent liturgical profession or doxology of faith in the Savior.
CCC: 1 Tm 6:12 2145
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Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"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.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
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Commentary on Lk 16:19-31
The story of Lazarus and the rich man is found only in the Gospel of Luke (The name "Dives," applied to the rich man, derives from the Latin word "rich" originating in the Vulgate from "Homo quidam erat dives, qui induebatur purpura et bysso, et epulabatur quotidie splendide"; some ancient texts name him "Nineveh" [5]). Jesus addresses this story to the Pharisees who were known to be fond of money. In this context we need to understand that all Jewish landowners were considered to be tenants of Yahweh, the true landowner, and they all owed a tax to God’s representatives, the poor.
The rich man’s great sin was ignoring the suffering of Lazarus, and when they both had passed from this life to the next, the rich man, suffering torment, begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. The “punchline” that follows must have been especially harsh for the Pharisaic audience. "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead." This last statement, of course, is also alluding to his own rejection by the scribes and Pharisees even after his own resurrection.
CCC: Lk 16:23-27 2615; Lk 16:24 2615, 2815; Lk 16:26 2815; Lk 16:28 661, 2795
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Reflection:
We should be constantly reminded that we live in one of the wealthiest societies on earth, and as such, the parable of Dives and Lazarus should be one of great import to us. We suspect that if the Lord came to us in judgment today, he might say: “I see that you have been somewhat generous with your wealth, but your motives are suspect.”
The Gospel call to “love one another” has a special focus on the poor. As we were reminded recently, the poor can be classified that way for reasons that go beyond the monetary. There are those who are poor in spirit, the old and forgotten, the homebound, and chronically ill. Mother Theresa, when she visited this country a number of years ago, said she had not seen real poverty until she visited us. Here she found the true poverty of the spirit in the lonely. We do not have to look to the developing world to find the poor.
And what does the Lord demand of us? We who are rich, rich in spirit, full of the knowledge of God’s love, overflowing with the friendship of Jesus in the faith community that is his risen and living body, we are called to share what we have been given. In a land where monetary wealth is so prevalent, it is too easy to write a check. We are called to reach out with something much more valuable, our time and ourselves.
Think of this for a moment! We have been given a great gift – knowledge of Jesus Christ who has opened the long-shut door to God’s Kingdom. If we keep that knowledge buried in a complacent façade, we are depriving others, poor in spirit, of the potential for true happiness. Can we justify such complacency?
The story of Lazarus and Dives we are given again today should remind us that the very comfort of our pews should be a warning. If we are filled to overflowing with life and love, we need to share that abundance with those who have less. If we do not know how, we should seek out a mechanism that allows us to do so. At a very minimum we should pray constantly for the less fortunate, that God in his mercy will give them comfort and peace in this world and the next.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The Picture today is "Dives and Lazarus" by Veronese Bonifacio, 1540.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] "
Lazarus and the Rich Man" Notes © 1996, 1999, 2002 by T.L. Hubeart
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