PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN & LAZARUS

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus tells the story of a man who enjoyed the luxury of his wealth. At his doorstep stayed a poor beggar named Lazarus whose hunger would have been satisfied by the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Both of them died. Lazarus was carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham while the rich man suffered the torment of his place in the netherworld. Father Abraham denied the rich man's request for a dip of water from Lazarus because of a chasm between them. He also denied the request to warn the rich man's five brothers of their lifestyle which will eventually lead them to the place of torment.

The parable has some significant points to consider:

1.The Sin of Omission on the part of the rich man- He failed to share his blessings with the needy (Lazarus). He was so self-centered, totally obsessed with the I-Me-Myself syndrome that he hardly noticed the existence of Lazarus. Such indifference/ insensitivity to his neighbor's needs in the midst of the rich man's bounty led to his assigned fate of timeless torment and pain. The Bible refers to God's message about indifference and the people who are indifferent, " I shall vomit you from my mouth."

This reminded me of parts of a poem I learned in Grade VI ( ages ago ) called " The Sin of Omission" by Margaret Sangster ( that's the poet's name, I remember ):

It isn't the thing you do, Dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

That gives you a bit of heartache

At the setting of the sun.

The tender word forgotten

The letter you did not write

The flowers you might have sent, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts tonight.

As children of God, let us always remember to share our blessings of time, talent and treasure with others. Also, to be always aware of the fact that we are judged not only by what we do, by what we cause others to do and, more importantly, but by what we F A I L to do!

Matthew 25: 40 says " Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for Me." Our Catholic Church provides avenues for works of mercy into two categories:

1. Corporal Works of Mercy ( oriented to the Body )

= To feed the hungry

= To give drink to the thirsty

= To clothe the naked

= To shelter the homeless

= To visit the sick

= To ransom the captiv

= To bury the dead

2. Spiritual Works of Mercy ( oriented to the Soul )

= To bear wrongs patiently

= To forgive offences willingly

= To comfortt the afflicted

= To pray for the living and the dead

And for those who are specially skilled and trained:

= To instruct the ignorant

= To counsel the doubtful

= To admonish sinners

2. Life After death through our Immortal Soul - We believe that life does not end by death; it is only changed; there is life after death! Despite the separation of the immortal soul from the physical body, its " memory " continues to exist (the rich man remembering his five brothers). In addition, the rich man " interceded " for the welfare of his brothers. Thus, while the souls of the faithful departed can no longer pray for themselves, they can intercede for the living.

3. God's Judgment is Received Upon Death - According to the teachings of our Church Fathers (St. Mark Eugenieus played a starring role) from the Council of Ferrara-Florence, the souls of the dead are judged and assigned to the Biblical Hades or Sheol which is actually a place for both the "good" and the "bad." The souls of the righteous and the repentant are conducted by angels to the right side while the souls of those considered "bad" are confined on the left side. The place is a foretaste of both heaven and hell. In the other life, this place, everyone will see God and His Glory which means that the Light of God will shine upon all of them. But Divine Light will shine on the Righteous giving them peace and communion with God while the Unrighteous will experience the Caustic Burning Energy of the Light which causes pain and torment. Thus, according to the degree of their "cure" or "illness" people's souls receive the same Grace either as Light or as Fire.

Remember what Christ said about the coming Judgment, " All will see the Judge, all will converse with Him, but some will enjoy His Glory and others will experience the caustic energy of His Divine Grace."

The Second Coming of Christ will be the Final Judgment when final damnation or Hell begins. Therefore, we need to pray for the souls of the faithful departed especially for those who do not have anyone to pray for them.

4. The Existence of Angels - The parable clearly states the presence of the angels in conducting Lazarus to the bosom of Abraham and of leading souls to their respective places in "Hades" or "Sheol."

Angels were first mentioned in Scripture in Genesis 3:24 which relates the fall of man and Adam and Eve's departure from Eden. God placed the Cherubim, an angel and the flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life. Angels are spiritual beings who serve as warriors fighting God's battles as St. Michael, the messengers of God's Word or healing as St. Gabriel and St. Raphael and generally as protectors of God's creation. The Seraphim,, the highest tier of angels surround our Lord with songs of praise endlessly. It is our Catholic belief that every human being born into this world is given a Guardian Angel by God. Hence, we should invoke our Guardian Angels daily for his protection and help.

"