September
25, 2016
26th
Sunday OT
Amos
6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31
I remember this
story of a man who died and arrived before the gate of heaven. The angel who
was guarding at the gate, looked for the name of this man in the Book of Life
but did not find it. So the angel said to the man that he will go to hell. The
man protested, “But what did I do? I did nothing!” “Precisely,” replied the
angel, “that is why you are going to hell – because you did nothing.”
That man could
be the rich man in today’s gospel. Why did the rich man go to hell? Does this
mean that wealth and riches hinder us from entering heaven? What is it that prevents us from entering
heaven?
Let
us reflect on this in three points:
THE
RICH MAN WENT TO HELL NOT MERELY BECAUSE HE IS RICH. Wealth and riches obtained through
honest means are blessings from the Lord.
We see the rich man in the gospel enjoying life with good food and fine
clothing. There is nothing wrong with
it. This man might have been diligent in work and a good steward of his property.
It is therefore right to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. We see the same thing
in the first reading. Look at how Amos described the life of the Israelites in
Zion: they were lying upon beds not made of wood but of ivory. They have lots
of food in the table. They drink wine from bowls. These are all symbols of prosperity. Isn’t
this our dream and desire? We all long for a more comfortable life. God is not
against our desire to enjoy life. If that is the case, what is it that
triggered the anger of God to the Israelites? What prevented the rich man in
the gospel to go to heaven?
THE
RICH MAN WENT TO HELL BECAUSE OF INDIFFERENCE. Yes,
it is proper and fitting that we enjoy the fruits of our earthly success and
live a comfortable life. But if our possessions make us insensitive to those around
us, especially to the cries of the poor, then something is wrong. This caused
the anger of God to the Israelites in the first reading. Their complacency led
them to be indifferent and blind to the sufferings of other people. We find
the same thing
with the rich man in the gospel. He was so absorbed in his own enjoyment that
he failed to see Lazarus the poor man at his door. Who noticed Lazarus? The
gospel says, a dog came and licked his wounds. How come a neighbor, a human
being, failed to see Lazarus? Indifference makes us blind to the sufferings of
other people. It is not physical distance that separated them. But the distance created by indifference and
selfishness. What can guide us in order to avoid indifference to the sufferings
of other people?
LISTEN
TO THE WORD OF GOD. Remember in the gospel, the rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to
his brothers so that they might change their ways. Abraham responded, “They
have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.” Abraham was saying that
we need not wait for something spectacular to happen. There is no need for
Lazarus to rise from the dead and appear to someone. Abraham was saying that
the Word of God is enough reminder. We must listen to the Word of God. Listen
to what the prophets are telling us so that we may avoid being indifferent to
the cries of the poor.
Paul also
reminds us in the second reading that all our actions here on earth will have
an impact and consequence on which side of eternal life we will be. So while we
are still here on earth, while we still have time to change our ways, let all
our actions be guided by the word of God.
