The Gospel which was just read reminded us of the parable that Jesus told to the Pharisees. What strikes us in this parable is a twofold and poignant contrast – two radically different situations. The first situation is presented by Jesus in sparing words: “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.” (Lk 16:19-21). The rich man and the beggar lived physically in the same place, almost under the same roof, but they were separated by a deep chasm of indifference and selfishness dug out of the former who had everything. There was no human relationship between them. More close to Lazarus were dogs. This drastic image shows us how much a person can close in on himself, distance himself from his neighbors, be insensitive to their often dramatic fate. It is not enough not to do evil to another person, because he always remains our brother or sister, after all, we are children of the one Heavenly Father.
The second contrast is when the situation of the beggar and the rich man is radically changed. After the death of Lazarus, ” he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham” that is, he received the joy of heaven. On the other hand, the insensitive rich man, whose name Jesus did not even mention, found himself after his death he “was buried, and from the netherworld where he was in torment” (Lk 16:23-24). And this time a deep chasm was created, but it was a consequence of the first chasm of extreme egoism. In the afterlife, justice has been restored, radically violated on earth.
The Church has never forgotten this parable. For this reason, from the very beginning until our times, the proclamation of the Gospel and the sacramental ministry in the Church have always been and are always linked to the works of mercy offered to our neighbor, near and far, known and unknown. In the Church, in doing good, there are no strangers and there should be no strangers by whom we pass indifferently. Every human being is our neighbor, especially the one who needs help. Each and every one of us should be the Good Samaritan of whom Jesus spoke in another parable.
Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, September 25, 2022
