The Fathers of the Church described this mystery as being like clay on a potter’s wheel. The mystery of the world to come is that our character is forever fixed. There is an old litany that goes like this: Sow a thought, reap a deed sow a deed, reap a habit sow a habit, reap a character sow a character, reap a destiny. Why is Hell eternal? Look at the rich man: He cannot and will not change his decision, character, and demeanor are forever fixed. The more we remain in sin, the harder our hearts become, and the less likely it is that we will ever change. While Lazarus was alive, the rich man never recognized his dignity, and he remains blind to it. Although doesn’t like where he is, he does not reconcile with Lazarus or even realize that he should do so. Even though he is in torment, the rich man is unrepentant.
Rather he merely wants Lazarus to serve him.
He does not ask Abraham to send Lazarus to him so that he can apologize for his sinful neglect and seek his forgiveness. Though he has to look up to see him, the rich man still looks down on Lazarus. In effect, he still sees Lazarus as an errand boy. Notice that the rich man still fails to see Lazarus’ dignity. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.” And he cried out, “Father Abraham, have pity on me. Although he is in torment, the rich man has not changed – The rich man, in torment, raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. This is a call to sobriety about the reality of judgment we must consider whether our care for the poor is what it should be.Ģ. Hence, the rich man who neglected Lazarus is now in Hell. How best to care for the poor is a matter of some dispute, but that we must care for them is clear. To those who failed in this regard the Lord Jesus says, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). The rich man died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes.Ĭare for the poor will be a central theme of our judgment, as is made clear in the Gospel of Matthew (25:31 ff), in which Jesus separates the sheep from the goats, the just from the unrighteous, based on whether they cared for the least of their brethren. This neglect, this omission, this insensitivity, lands him in Hell. He seems undisturbed by and removed from Lazarus’ suffering. The unnamed rich man (dubbed Dives by some because it means “rich” in Latin) does not so much act in an evil way toward Lazarus as he does commit a sin of neglect and omission. The vision of Lazarus’ poverty is dramatic indeed. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. 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. Neglect of the poor is a damnable sin – There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. Let’s take a look at some of the teachings, beginning with the obvious one.ġ. Those teachings are hidden in the details, but the subtlety is part of the story’s beauty.
However, there are other important teachings: about death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. On one level the message of the story seems plain enough: neglecting the poor is a damnable sin. The well-known story of Lazarus and the rich man was read at Mass this morning (Thursday of the Second Week of Lent).
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