Rich Man, Poor Man

The Gospel today (Lk. 16:19-31), gives us images of two extremely different persons: one rich, and the other poor. The rich man dined everyday and feasted everyday. While the poor man, named Lazarus, covered with sores, is already enough to eat the scraps falling from the rich man's table. Then they both died. As their lives end, our lessons begin.

Two points: Give and Endure.

Being rich or being poor does not guarantee us Heaven. What we do with our richness or poverty, and the grace that accompanies such states, determines it. If God has given us more, more is required from us. From the rich man, we learned the importance of being productive and of giving, which he had not done. Being able to produce and to give. The Gospel says that Lazarus was just lying at the rich man's gate; and yet, the rich man wasn't even able to give Lazarus anything. Doing nothing bad is good. As well, doing nothing good is bad. We have to work with our brothers and sisters. Not just to work for them; but to work with them. (To help and work with the poor, click here.)

The rich man is supposed to be in purple. Hehe. (cf. Lk. 16:19)

I believe that Lazarus was able to be in the presence of Abraham's bosom not because he was poor nor because of his sores, which the dogs lick, nor the scraps he eat. Rather, he was able to enjoy the comfort of Abraham for eternity, I believe, simply because he endured. He endured the pain of his sores. He endured the company, not of men, but of dogs. He endured just having scraps as meal. Lazarus endured; and he endured up to the very end.

What is important is that we give until there is nothing to give; and in becoming empty, we learn to endure. Enduring, not with the little that we have, but with the enough that we have. How do we do this? The First Reading (Jer. 17:5-10) teaches us:

" ... Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is in the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, it leaves stays green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. ... " (Jer. 17:7-8)

In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit--produce (give) and endure--because it has trusted in the LORD.

As the Reading that we have in the Afternoon's Liturgy of the Hours (or Divine Office) from Hebrews 10:35-36 affirms us: "Continue to have confidence, since the reward is so great. You will need endurance to do God's will and gain what he has promised." (Jerusalem Bible).

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Ave Maria
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
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Generosity and Greatness

The mother of James and John could have known who Jesus is: the Son of Man, who will die and rise and reign in Glory in His Kingdom.

In the beginning and end of today's Gospel (Mt. 20: 17-28), we see the words "Son of Man". In the first part of the Gospel, Jesus, the Son of Man, predicts (for the third time) His Passion, Death, and Resurrection--He will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, condemned to death, mocked, scourged, crucified, and on the third day be raised. At the end of the Gospel, we see the words: "Be like the Son of Man who has come not to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many." (Mt. 20:28, CCB).

There is greatness in servanthood. If one wants to be great, serve. If one wants to be first, be a slave. Give yourself for the souls of many. Our only way to the Son of Man is the way He have shown: the Way of the Cross. Yes, like the prophet Jeremiah in today's first Reading (Jer. 18:18-20), others may reject and persecute and even plan to destroy and take our lives from us because of what we believe in and of what we do for God's Kingdom. We might even be put to places and situations where we may be pressed down and may ask, "Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? ... " (Jer. 18:20a)

But remember, the Way of the Cross doesn't end with death. Yes, it may be full of sufferings and sacrifices. But definitely, it will not end in death. It will end in glory, not our own, but God's glory and our salvation. The Way of the Cross teaches us that for us to have an Easter Sunday, we must first have and endure our Good Friday.

When Jesus asked James and John regarding their request (which was coursed through their mother), " ... Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" The apostles James and John said, "We can." I think that they were able to respond with "We can", simply because their eyes were fixed on the prize. Like the apostles, may we also fix our eyes on Jesus; not on what we can gain from the world, but on Jesus. Our reward is this: " But it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, " (1 Cor. 2:9). It is more than what our eyes can handle, more than what our ears can understand, more than what our human hearts and minds can imagine.

There is greatness in servanthood. We can be great if we allow ourselves to be generous. Generous of giving our time, our talents, and our treasures (resources) for the furtherance of God's mission. Generosity of our life, no matter how difficult. Generosity of saying, "For you, O Lord, we can!"


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Prayer for Generosity
O Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask for reward;
Save that of knowing
that I am doing your holy will.
Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
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