Lazarus…would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the…table (Luke 16:20, 21). There are two issues at the heart of today’s Gospel reading: eternal life and caring for the poor. Of course, faith and baptism is the way to eternal life. But at the same time, the way we treat each other, especially the neediest among us, is just as important to our salvation. It’s always good to give money to charitable organizations, but our heavenly Father is looking for something beyond simple writing a check. He is looking for people who will welcome the poor into their hearts-something the rich man in this parable never did. He is looking for people who will treat the needy with the same dignity and attention they give to the wealthy and satisfied. Jesus told this parable to show that our faith is not individualistic. As children of God, we are all members of the same family. Rich or poor, we all belong to each other, and our Father expects us to treat each other with equal love, or compassion, and dignity. Our mission is to be Christ for each other. It is to save those who are lost-those who are spiritually lost and those who are lost in grief, anxiety, addiction, or bitterness. It is to feed the hungry-those who are hungry for the love of God and those who don’t know where their next meal will come from. It is to shelter the homeless-those who are far from their heavenly home and those who have no roof over their heads. In short, our mission, is to lay down our lives for our brothers and sister, just as Jesus laid down his life for us. So let’s become the Church that Jesus has called us to be. Let’s put our faith into action by being a people who give. God promises that the more freely we give of our time, our money, and our hearts, the more blessings we ourselves will find. “Jesus, give me your heart of love and compassion. Teach me to be generous toward all of my brothers and sister.”
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 04:45:41 +0000
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