Jesus said to the Pharisees, "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”Our Lord tells a story, putting two men before us: one is a certain rich man, and the other is a beggar named Lazarus. In the story they are strangers to each other. The rich man lives in abundance and luxury. The poor man lives in extreme poverty. They live only a short distance from each other, but they never meet. So separate were they, in fact, that the rich man never actually refused anything to Lazarus; rather, the rich man just never noticed Lazarus, even though the beggar was right outside the rich man’s door.
- St. Luke 16:19-21
The rich man had his own world, constructed of money and pleasure and plenty, and his comfort so insulated him that he was blind to everything and everyone else.
In the story, the rich man and Lazarus both die. Lazarus is carried to the bosom of Abraham – in other words, he receives eternal peace, allowing him to live in an intimacy with God and in the company of those holy men and women who have gone before him. The rich man, on the other hand, is given over to torments and to the torture of burning flames. He is so thirsty that even a moistened fingertip on his lips would bring a comfort beyond description.
And between the two there is an unbridgeable chasm, not unlike that which had been erected by the rich man while they lived in this world. They were strangers on earth, and so they remain strangers now – but with one big difference. The rich man is deeply aware of the separation, and it causes him untold suffering.
Our Lord is emphasizing the vast difference between their situations on earth, and their situations in eternity. In heaven, the poor man Lazarus is showered with blessings, and the rich man is deprived of everything. But their situations aren’t simply reversed. They are, in fact, quite different. Lazarus does not now live in the midst of worldly wealth; rather, his wealth is that of a peaceful and happy life with God. The rich man is in torment, but not like the torments of Lazarus on earth. Rather, because the rich man had put his trust in material wealth on earth, he gets exactly what money and possessions can give in the after-life – absolutely nothing.
The lesson is clear. Our earthly choices determine our eternal life. After death, no reversal is possible. This is what Christ tells us in this parable. He makes it clear what is really at stake when we make our free choices here. And yet, there are those who see this as being somehow “unfair” on the part of God. There are those who don’t like it because it doesn’t fit in with their picture of God and His mercy. How could one’s eternal destiny be the result of a momentary lapse? How could the Lord be so unkind as to hold us to such a severe accounting?
We can make some observations. This parable is not referring to a “momentary lapse.” No, the choices over a lifetime is what our Lord is talking about. Where do we place our security? In things, or in God? That is the choice.
In the final point of the parable we see that the rich man is in some shock over the torment he is enduring, so he makes a request of Abraham. He asks him to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers. He thinks that when they see a dead man back on earth, they will reform themselves and so be able to escape the horrible fate of their brother. But Abraham refuses his request. “If they don’t hear Moses and the prophets, they’re not going to be convinced, even if someone returns to them from the dead.”
At first it seems to be a cruel response. “Why not try?” we think. We might even be somewhat impressed by the concern the rich man shows for his brothers. And yet, Abraham’s response is right. We are inclined to think that something spectacular and out of the ordinary could be just the thing to help us in getting our spiritual lives together. What else would explain the sometimes-desperate search for signs that we see even among otherwise faithful Catholics? Every dancing sun, every weeping Madonna, every rosary supposedly turning to gold is something that people think will perhaps take their lives out of the ordinary. But those things, by themselves, cannot change hearts. One God can do that. And that is why Abraham’s response is so hopeful and important for us.
We do not need extraordinary signs and spectacular happenings to learn the truth. Our eternal salvation – the truth we need – is as close as the tabernacle – it is as close as the confessional – it is as close as the bended knee and the thirsting spirit. Those brothers in the parable already had Moses and the prophets. We already have the Gospel of Jesus Christ – and it is that Gospel which is our source of comfort, our source of life, our source of eternal salvation. It is that Gospel which allows us to live in the peace that Lazarus came to know. We have the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Word and in His sacraments, and all that is ministered to us through Christ’s Holy Catholic Church. We need look no further.
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Painting: "Lazarus and the Rich Man"
by Jacopo Bassano (c. 1510 – 1592)