Saint Peter Damian, Bishop, Doctor
Additional Information about St. Peter Damian[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Second Week of Lent[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Jeremiah 17:5-10
This passage from Jeremiah is part of the wisdom sayings (Sapiential Sayings). The first uses opposition or comparison imagery to demonstrate that the wise person trusts in God while the foolish one trusts in his own strength or the help of others. The psalm below borrowed this imagery to portray the true heart of faithfulness.
The second saying describes the root of evil, the human heart whose secret plotting is transparent to God.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
This wisdom psalm follows the same theme as that expressed in Jeremiah (above). The focus is to look to God for guidance and not to trust only in the counsel of men.
Gospel Luke 16:19-31
The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (some ancient texts name him "Nineveh") is found only in the Gospel of Luke. 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 land owners were considered to be tenants of Yahweh, the landowner, and 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 “punch line” 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.
Homily:
It is easy for us to see the consistent message in scripture today; trust in God, listen to Him and follow His commandments. Jeremiah blasts us with wisdom saying; “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings”. He is supported by the psalmist who says; “…they (the wicked) are like chaff which the wind drives away” using the same image. The bottom line there – the good person follows God, the person who trusts in themselves is condemned.
We are then presented with the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. We can easily identify the rich man as one who puts his faith in his wealth while Lazarus is taken to the bosom of God. The Rich Man begs Abraham to save his brothers from the same fate he is enduing and receives a “no” answer “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" This amounts to a cliché “Ignorance of the Law is no excuse”.
Given to us as a story it is easy to see where Lazarus went wrong and to shake our heads knowingly. “Ah, if only he had helped Lazarus in life, he would not have ended up in torment.” How many times have we walked past Lazarus? How many times have we looked the other way to avoid seeing someone in need? How many times have we said; “I will pray for you” when we should have said “How can I help?”
Yes, it is easy for us to see what Lazarus should have done. It is not so easy to put that into practice in our own lives. Today our prayer is to ask God to help us see “Lazarus” when we meet. We pray that we will have the strength of faith and of will to provide help for those who truly need it and, in so doing, follow in the footsteps of the Saints, like St. Peter Damain who we remember today.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Sts. Benedict, Thecla, and Damian” by Giovanni Buonconsiglio, 1497
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Additional Information about St. Peter Damian[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Second Week of Lent[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Jeremiah 17:5-10
This passage from Jeremiah is part of the wisdom sayings (Sapiential Sayings). The first uses opposition or comparison imagery to demonstrate that the wise person trusts in God while the foolish one trusts in his own strength or the help of others. The psalm below borrowed this imagery to portray the true heart of faithfulness.
The second saying describes the root of evil, the human heart whose secret plotting is transparent to God.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
This wisdom psalm follows the same theme as that expressed in Jeremiah (above). The focus is to look to God for guidance and not to trust only in the counsel of men.
Gospel Luke 16:19-31
The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (some ancient texts name him "Nineveh") is found only in the Gospel of Luke. 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 land owners were considered to be tenants of Yahweh, the landowner, and 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 “punch line” 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.
Homily:
It is easy for us to see the consistent message in scripture today; trust in God, listen to Him and follow His commandments. Jeremiah blasts us with wisdom saying; “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings”. He is supported by the psalmist who says; “…they (the wicked) are like chaff which the wind drives away” using the same image. The bottom line there – the good person follows God, the person who trusts in themselves is condemned.
We are then presented with the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. We can easily identify the rich man as one who puts his faith in his wealth while Lazarus is taken to the bosom of God. The Rich Man begs Abraham to save his brothers from the same fate he is enduing and receives a “no” answer “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" This amounts to a cliché “Ignorance of the Law is no excuse”.
Given to us as a story it is easy to see where Lazarus went wrong and to shake our heads knowingly. “Ah, if only he had helped Lazarus in life, he would not have ended up in torment.” How many times have we walked past Lazarus? How many times have we looked the other way to avoid seeing someone in need? How many times have we said; “I will pray for you” when we should have said “How can I help?”
Yes, it is easy for us to see what Lazarus should have done. It is not so easy to put that into practice in our own lives. Today our prayer is to ask God to help us see “Lazarus” when we meet. We pray that we will have the strength of faith and of will to provide help for those who truly need it and, in so doing, follow in the footsteps of the Saints, like St. Peter Damain who we remember today.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Sts. Benedict, Thecla, and Damian” by Giovanni Buonconsiglio, 1497
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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