26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
How do I use my wealth and myself to honour God?
Is today’s gospel simply about the rich man and the poor man; about those who have and those who have not? Or is it more than this?
We considered last week the issue of having money and making full and best use of it in our lives and also to and for the betterment of others. It was not so much whether we had any money but more about how we made use of it to better ourselves, our families and our communities, others, if you like.
And this week we have the rich man who is not simply rich. He is rich and very lucky to have lots of good things come his way. But there is an implication here that he then kept all of these good things to and for himself. He dressed superbly and dined magnificently every day, seeming without any care for anyone else and certainly not for Lazarus, the beggar at his gate. His riches he used solely for himself and for his own enjoyment.
Lazarus on the other hand had nothing. He had less than nothing. He was a beggar, a down and out, sickly and covered in sores. We are told that he was fit only for the dogs to come and lick: a miserable looking and sounding man, seemingly with nothing in his life. And yet he must have had his faith because when he died, he was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham.
This is the main difference between the two men: one had lots of earthly riches but no faith in God or in anyone else. The other was filled with his faith in the Lord while seemingly bereft of any earthly riches.
The rich man appealed to Abraham for help, for succour, for some level of easing of his torment. He appealed that even if not for himself then for his remaining brothers who still lived. But he is rebuked by Abraham, who says that if the brothers did not listen to Moses and the prophets, then they would not listen to anyone, even someone coming back from the dead.
So, we are left considering this story and where we are at within it, and probably and fairly we would have to say that we are neither one of the two main characters. We are neither the rich man with all of his wealth and luxurious living or the poor beggarman, Lazarus: we are probably somewhere in between both. And this can be confusing and could maybe let us of taking in the full message here. We are neither man so neither message is for us.
We are not wasteful degenerates and nor are we desperate paupers! But the message is still there for all of us. How do I use my wealth, whatever this wealth may be – my money, my health, my possessions, my influence, my position – to help other people, to help my community? How do I contribute to the running of my parish, making use of any and all skills and time that I may have?
And if I feel that I have nothing – no time, no money, no influence, nothing – how do I make use of my faith, my prayers, my beliefs, my own inner strength to try and enhance the lives and positions of others who are in the same place as me or maybe are even worse-off than me?
We all have riches. We all have strengths. We all have the graces that God has given to each and every one of us. We just have to look at ourselves in our mirrors and fairly and fully assess what these riches are and decide how, where, when and if we are going to use them to better ourselves and those others that we can.
We are all rich in some way or other. We are all poor also in some way or other. How do we make use of our riches to improve our own personal poverty and how do we do the same thing for those around us? How do I use my wealth and myself to honour God?
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Bidding Prayers
1. That we can acknowledge the riches that we have and utilise them to better ourselves and communities. Lord in your mercy
2. That we can identify those with less than us and work together to improve their lives and their situations. Lord in your mercy
3. That we can thank God for the life and service of our late Queen Elizabeth and pray for the same for her son our new King, Charles. Lord in your mercy
4. That there is an end to all wars and conflicts and that peoples can come together in peace and harmony. Lord in your mercy
5. That all those who are sick and housebound, lonely or feeling unloved and forgotten, may know our love and care through our actions and prayers. Lord in your mercy
6. That all those who have died recently may find eternal rest and peace, like Lazarus, with their Father in heaven. Lord in your mercy
7. That Mary our Mother may join her prayers with ours as we now say together, hail Mary, full of grace