At times the Word of God shocks us awake.
Today we hear of two rich people. One is nameless, living for himself, and the other shares his wealth with others.
The nameless rich man dines sumptuously and dresses in fine linen, blithely ignoring the suffering poor man, Lazarus, at his door. He ends up suffering eternal torment.
The other rich man is Abraham, who welcomes the poor man. Abraham was a very wealthy man with many servants, animals and possessions. Abraham shared his wealth with others and in turn, was greatly blessed.
The lesson is clear: it is not riches that are condemned but their use for selfish purposes alone.
The nameless rich man begs to have Lazarus dip the tip of his finger in cool water to give him a momentary taste of relief to his torment in flames. He uses words that Jesus uses when he says, if it is by the “Finger of God” that he heals. The Finger of God is understood as the working of the Holy Spirit
May the Finger of God bring conversion, healing and new life to all our families this Holy Lent of 2020. Amen.
For additional reading: The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
