26th Ordinary Sunday – 25th September 2022 — Gospel: Lk 16,19-31
Resistance to Conversion
Apparently the parable introduces the traditional teachings on greed and divine judgement. Basically it illustrates two of Luke’s major themes: first, the coming reversal of all things, in particular, the fortunes of the rich and poor; The parable virtually enacts the first beatitude [6,20; 6,24]. Second, it is resistance to conversion. The structure places maximum emphasis upon the reversal that occurs in two characters. In the earthly situation the rich man is inside, Lazarus outside. In the afterlife situation Lazarus is inside, i.e., “in Abraham’s bosom”, the rich man outside, i.e., in Hades. Before Lazarus had an unfulfilled longing to satisfy his hunger with scraps from the table. Now the rich man has an unfulfilled longing to quench his raging thirst. Earlier Lazarus had been licked by dogs, and the rich man is tormented in flames now.
The story does not portray Lazarus as notably virtuous in any way. It is his poor and neglected condition that is the object of God’s action. However, he had the choice of bearing his condition with patience and trust in God. Through his impressive silence throughout the parable, Lazarus neither complains of his hard lot on earth, nor rejoices over the rich man after death, nor expresses resentment when requested by the rich man to send him to his brothers on earth. The rich man is neither wicked in other respects. It is simply that his luxury so absorbed him that he did not notice, which sealed his fate. Although, he had the choice of relieving Lazarus’ pain, he chose to ignore the beggar at his gate. Since he had not been hospitable to Lazarus in the present life, at the eternity he found himself eternally excluded from the hospitality of God.
Towards the end of the story, the rich man shows some interest in others, though still not of the poor, but he sticks to his own. For he requests that his five brothers may be warned of what awaits them. Again he assumes that Lazarus may be dispatched on his mission; here his deep-seated sense of superiority remains. He also indicates that he had not been treated fairly. If he had really been given all the information he needed, he would have acted differently. Nonetheless, the rich man’s unpleasant situation was due to his neglect of Scripture and its teaching; although he does not agree. For Abraham affirms that the appearance of one risen from the dead will bring no conviction to those who refuse to accept Scripture.
