September 29, 2013

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 138
Reading 1 AMOS 6:1A, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts:
Woe to the complacent in Zion!
Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches,
they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall!
Improvising to the music of the harp,
like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
They drink wine from bowls
and anoint themselves with the best oils;
yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.

Caring very important.  Do you care about others?  Do you care about God?  Here is what God says about who don't care less about anyone but themselves:

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

And perhaps you'll say, "I'm not rich."  If you make $50,000, you are in the top 1% of income in the world.  You might be lower middle class in the U.S.  But in the world, you are filthy rich.  So, thank God and use your wealth with loving discernment.

Responsorial Psalm PS 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Turn to God and do righteous deeds.  Begin to care about others and don't worry about yourself.  Scripture says:

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Reading 2 1 TM 6:11-16

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

St. Paul is speaking to St. Timothy, a man whom he elected as Bishop.  And he is urging him to continue to pursue righteousness.  But we are all people of God and we all make a public profession to obey God in front of many witnesses.  Therefore, this advice applies to us all.

I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Therefore, let us all seek to do good with perseverance until the end.  And God will bless us abundantly:

Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Gospel LK 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.

Dives, the rich man in this story, didn't care about the poor. Scripture says:

Matt 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

Lazarus was a righteous man, but he was poor and suffered from starvation and a variety of diseases.

1 Peter 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

And when Lazarus died, he was carried by Angels to the bosom of Abraham.  The bosom of Abraham is a euphemism for the Limbo of the Fathers, where the righteous Jews went to await the redemption of their sins:

Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise.  40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 

The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.

The netherworld is another name for Limbo.  But purgatory is a type of limbo.  It is a place or condition of being between heaven and hell.  It is very possible that Lazarus was in purgatory.

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

This is very interesting because 

a.  Dives, the rich man, is technically praying to Father Abraham, a saint of God most high.

b.  Dives is alive, though dead.  He is exhibiting awareness and consciousness.  Though clearly, Jesus said that he has died. 

Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.

More interesting stuff.  

a.  Abraham doesn't say, "Dives, don't talk to me.  You need to direct your requests (i.e. prayers) through God.  This is business as usual for the Patriarch.  He knows that he is in charge.  

b.  Abraham is essentially explaining that Dives is receiving the suffering due to him.  He says to Dives that the suffering he is receiving is that which is due to him because he didn't suffer at all in his life.

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’

Jesus continues depicting this life after death conversation.  And Abraham explains that they, on the good side of Limbo, are forbidden from crossing over to the bad side and vice versa.

He said, 'Then I beg you, father,

The damned do not love anyone.  That is why they are condemned.  The fact that Dives calls Abraham, father and humbles himself before Abraham, is another indication that he is not in the hell of the damned.  But is suffering in purgatory for the expiation of his sins.

send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'

And since he obviously is now learning to care for others.  He is here asking for mercy for his five brothers.  

But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'

But Father Abraham informs him that they have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets.  These include the Ten Commandments and many calls to righteousness.  Yet the Jews have not obeyed the Word of God.

He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

But Dives insists saying that his brothers don't understand because they have no knowledge of spiritual things.  But, he claims,  if a spirit were to warn them, they would believe.

Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Abraham counters that, if they do not listen to the Word of God taught to them by Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe anyone's testimony, even if they were raised from the dead.  And Abraham is right.  Two men were resurrected from the dead. First,  Lazarus:

John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Then Jesus:

Acts 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.