The name Lazarus means “God is my help.” Despite a life of misfortune and suffering, Lazarus did not lose hope in God. His eyes were set on a treasure stored up for him in heaven. The rich man, however, could not see beyond his material wealth and possessions. He not only had everything he needed; he selfishly spent all he had on himself. He was too absorbed in what he possessed to notice the needs of those around him. He lost sight of God and the treasure of heaven, because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things. He served wealth rather than God. In the end we see that the rich man became a beggar! As St. Paul says in the letter to the Hebrews: Those who put their hope and security in the kingdom of heaven will not be disappointed.

The rich and powerful are visited with woe and exile in today’s Liturgy—not for their wealth but for their refusal to share it; not for their power but for their indifference to the suffering at their doorsteps.

The complacent leaders in today’s First Reading feast on fine foods and wines, reveling while the house of Joseph, the kingdom of Israel, collapses around them.

According to the Book of the Maccabees, the rich man in today’s Gospel also lives like a king—dressed in royal purple and fine linen. In this world, the rich and powerful make a name for themselves and dine sumptuously, while the poor remain anonymous and were refused an invitation to their feasts. But notice that the Lord today knows Lazarus by name, and Joseph in his sufferings—while the leaders and the rich man have no name.

Today’s Liturgy is a call to repentance—to heed the warning of One who was raised from the dead. To lay hold of the eternal life He promises. As Paul exhorts in today’s Epistle: we must pursue righteousness and keep the commandment of love.

In this Eucharist, we have a foretaste of the love that will be ours in the next life—when He will raise the lowly to the heavenly banquet with Abraham and the prophets, where we, too, will rest our heads on the bosom of our Lord. We shall keep our hope only in the Lord in all the situations of our lives, because nothing will happen to us without His knowledge. God is always faithful and merciful and keeps us in his care.

God Bless us all,

Fr. Charley