I am my brother's keeper

Thursday Second Week of Lent

Reading Luke 16: 19-31

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.  The poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham.  The rich man also died and was buried.  In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.  He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on 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.  But Abraham said, “Child remember that during your lifetime you received good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.  Besides all this, between us and us a great chasm has been fixed, to that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.”  He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Reflection

Here we see where Jesus once again refers to the Old Testament to show the pharisees and all of us how we are to relate to each other. He challenges hypocrisy when he states that the rich man is dressed in purple and fine linen while the poor lies at his gate covered in sores. Linen was a symbol of purity and light but those dressed royally did nothing to respond to his cries for basic food and health care. Imagine his humiliation when the dogs in the street licked his sores.  When he died, he was carried away to rest in the bosom of Abraham, a place of deep intimacy with God.  In comparison the rich man was sent to Hades, a place of temporary punishment for the unrighteous dead. It was not a place of final punishment. In his torment there, he calls out to Abraham for relief for his suffering and for the instruction of his brothers. He receives a sobering response when he is reminded that Moses and the prophets have instructed the people on how they are to live by the covenant of love as expressed in the Ten Commandments, a way of being that is responsive to the needs of others.  We are called to pour out our lives in compassionate service to all especially those who suffer. There is to be no discrimination between those who have plenty and those who have little.  This parable challenges me to reflect on my attitude to the poor.  Each day, TV, newspaper columns and social media sites speak about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the world today. Inequalities between those who have plenty and those who struggle to survive has never been greater. The suffering of the poor often goes un-noticed and on occasion, they are blamed for the misfortune that has fallen upon them.  During this season of Lent, I am challenged to reflect on my own attitude to material goods, to the poor and to the message of the Gospel.

 Do I listen to God’s call to me to be generous in my service of the poor?  Do I

share my time and talents willingly or I am mean and stingy in my responses to

those around me?  Are there occasions when I see the suffering of others, turn

a blind eye and walk away saying to myself, ‘I do not need to respond to this

situation: it is someone else’s problem!’  Deep in my own heart, I may have not

reflected on the words, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) and

responded in loving services to him.  As a follower of Christ, I have a duty of

care to my fellow human beings. I am called to be ‘merciful’ (Matthew 5:7) to

all but especially to those who suffer.  If like the rich man, I fail in mercy, I

cannot expect mercy to be shown to me.  Jesus invites me to deepen my

relationship with him during this holy season by prayer, fasting, alms-giving and

service of the poor. I am asked to take his message of love to heart and to be

generous in my responses to his ‘little ones.’ I am reminded that God speaks to

me in the realities of my day not in the extraordinary as requested by the rich

man. I choose the responses I make to God’s invitations.

‘To her it has granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:8)

During this Lenten season you may wish to reflect on practical steps do you take to support the most vulnerable in society?

Is there a local Homeless Night Shelter or Soup kitchen that needs your help.

Could you support a vulnerable person to register with a G.P or attend a hospital appointment.

Write your own prayer asking God’s forgiveness for the times when you ignored a poor person and dismissed their cry for help.

Prayer

Open my eyes O Lord to see you in all who suffer;

Heal my blindness and hardness of heart

that I may respond in love to those who cry out,

‘give me a drink’

Help me not to walk away knowing that it

is you that I serve

O Divine Son of God, Amen.