26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
First Reading: Amos 6:1,3-7
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.
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16
But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, 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.
Gospel Reading: 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.'"
Reflection: Fr. Sahaya G Selvam
The gospel text of today invites us once again to reflect on the meaning of love and kindness. There is the unnamed rich man who has a poor neighbour named Lazarus. ‘Lazarus’ literally means, ‘God helps’. The poor man is very visible because he lies at the gate of the rich man. Lazarus yearns for the love of his neighbour, which he does not receive. He relies solely on the love of God. The rich man, despite his wealth, is nameless. He thought his purple dress, the fine linen, and the daily feasts (Lk 16:19) could give him happiness and wellbeing.
At the end of the story, the positions of the characters is reversed, and the truth is made plain. In the change of life events like death, the rich man is just ‘buried’ while Lazarus is carried to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man has excluded himself from the heavenly banquet. He becomes a victim of the abyss that he had created by his indifference to poor Lazarus. The rich man does have some love for his immediate family – his five brothers – but this isn’t sufficient for him to enjoy lasting happiness and wellbeing. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. (1Jn 4:7-11).
At the end of the story, the positions of the characters is reversed, and the truth is made plain. In the change of life events like death, the rich man is just ‘buried’ while Lazarus is carried to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man has excluded himself from the heavenly banquet. He becomes a victim of the abyss that he had created by his indifference to poor Lazarus. The rich man does have some love for his immediate family – his five brothers – but this isn’t sufficient for him to enjoy lasting happiness and wellbeing. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. (1Jn 4:7-11).
