Here are a few very basic points from 130 years of Catholic Social Teaching:
God intended the earth and everything in it for the sake of all human beings. Thus, in justice, created goods should flow fairly to all. All other rights are subordinated to this principle. All have a right to private ownership, but this right is subordinate to the common good. Therefore, wealth and possessions must be understood as ours to steward rather than something to possess absolutely.
No person (or nation) may have a surplus if others do not have the basic necessities. Thus, no one may appropriate surplus goods solely for his own private use when others lack the bare necessities for life. People are obliged to come to the relief of the poor. With regards to society, The motivating concern for the poor - who are, in the very meaningful term, "the Lord's poor" - must be translated at all levels into concrete actions, until it decisively attains a series of necessary reforms.
Hopefully this conveys that over the last couple of millennia, we as Church have been touched by and have learned from Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Fr. Phil, in a Homily he gave last week, offered that during this part of our Liturgical Year, we are given these examples to follow as an opportunity to rehearse and prepare us for the coming of Christ when we hope to hear, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me… Whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me!” (Matthew 25: 31-35, 40)
This past week, I very much enjoyed listening to our guest Chris Stefanick, who came to the Parish on Wednesday. My favorite takeaway from the evening is the reality that we are truly a “big deal” to our Lord, and that this relationship that we share with him is not only a story, but a love story! And each step, or page of that story is a part of God’s bigger story. And when the story reaches its end, every step, every success, every challenge or mistake is redeemed by the love of God, who gave us His only Son so that we might have eternal life. Which seems to infer that we need to do something to ensure that each page is full of action for the Lord, serving the needs of His people! Our guest Wednesday put it like this: “All God wants from us is EVERYTHING!” In contrast, it would seem that THE RICH MAN in today’s Gospel JUST WANTS TO KEEP EVERYTHING!
This past month, besides one of the hottest months on record, has given us five Sundays in which to continue to understand what it means to be a Disciple.
Using the example of where to sit at the Banquet Table, the month began Sept. 1st asking us to be humble, taking the lower place at the table, instead exalting ourselves as worthy of the highest place. Today’s Gospel shows a RICH MAN WHO WON’T EVEN INCLUDE OTHERS AT HIS TABLE.
The second Sunday of this month challenged us to carry our cross, prioritizing it above even family, reminding us that we must stay focused and totally committed to the demands of discipleship. Today’s Gospel offers us the image of Lazarus in his extreme poverty being totally ignored by a RICH MAN WHO’S PRIORITIES BEGIN WITH HIS FINE GARMENTS.
The third Sunday Recalled the familiar story of the Prodigal Son, emphasizing that it is in God's loving mercy that we should strive to respond to others in need, rejoicing when we find the lost, even running TO them to help! In today’s Gospel, we see a RICH MAN WHO MUST HAVE REPEATEDLY STEPPED OVER “THE LOST” LAZARUS, JUST SO HE COULD EAT OF HIS OWN FATTED CALF ALL BY HIMSELF.
Last Sunday, the fourth Sunday of the month, we reflected on the need for the disciple, to be trustworthy at all times, in small and great matters alike. Today’s Gospel shows a RICH MAN WHO FAILED IN MANY A SMALL MATTER, REFUSING TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THE BASIC NEED THERE ON HIS DOORSTEP, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT HE NO LONGER HAD INFLUENCE OVER THE GREAT MATTER OF HIS ETERNAL PLACE AMONG THE DEAD.
Today, the Prophet Amos looks to us and says, "Woe to the complacent,” which can be defined as a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements, and I’ll add, even in the face of helping to satisfy the greater needs of others. I think the RICH MAN in today’s Gospel fits that definition well, and with regards to being a Disciple, there is no room for complacency when serving our Lord.
But it should be noted when reflecting on today’s Gospel, that there is an interesting transition that we don’t read in today’s excerpt. In the Gospel passages that we’ve heard this month, Jesus was speaking to his Disciples, but in today’s Gospel, Jesus has turned his attention to respond to the hecklers in the crowd, the Pharisees. The missing verse reads, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things [Jesus’ teaching his Disciples] and sneered at him.” Jesus turned and responded teachings such as the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. He’s looking at those who love their stuff more than they desire to serve the needs of others, and he’s showing his Disciples HOW NOT TO BE! Check out Fr. Bryan’s Column in today’s Bulletin… I learned that from him! :)
You see, as our Liturgical Year approaches its conclusion, the Gospel is revealing what I’ll call an Advanced Level of Discipleship… I would argue that a concept like walking together to the next town, two by two, ready to accept hospitality or move on, is a little easier to embrace than that of “hating my mother and father,” leaving everything to follow Jesus. But remember, to give your life to the Lord comes with a very challenging expectation to give it all, trusting that your love story with the Lord will include serving others, and ultimately a place at his heavenly banquet table.
TODAY, THE RICH MAN GIVES NOTHING, and in turn, gets nothing as his reward! Lazarus, on the other hand, who receives nothing from his neighbor, inherits EVERYTHING from the Lord!
DON’T BE LIKE THE RICH MAN!
God intended the earth and everything in it for the sake of all human beings. Thus, in justice, created goods should flow fairly to all. All other rights are subordinated to this principle. All have a right to private ownership, but this right is subordinate to the common good. Therefore, wealth and possessions must be understood as ours to steward rather than something to possess absolutely.
No person (or nation) may have a surplus if others do not have the basic necessities. Thus, no one may appropriate surplus goods solely for his own private use when others lack the bare necessities for life. People are obliged to come to the relief of the poor. With regards to society, The motivating concern for the poor - who are, in the very meaningful term, "the Lord's poor" - must be translated at all levels into concrete actions, until it decisively attains a series of necessary reforms.
Hopefully this conveys that over the last couple of millennia, we as Church have been touched by and have learned from Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Fr. Phil, in a Homily he gave last week, offered that during this part of our Liturgical Year, we are given these examples to follow as an opportunity to rehearse and prepare us for the coming of Christ when we hope to hear, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me… Whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me!” (Matthew 25: 31-35, 40)
This past week, I very much enjoyed listening to our guest Chris Stefanick, who came to the Parish on Wednesday. My favorite takeaway from the evening is the reality that we are truly a “big deal” to our Lord, and that this relationship that we share with him is not only a story, but a love story! And each step, or page of that story is a part of God’s bigger story. And when the story reaches its end, every step, every success, every challenge or mistake is redeemed by the love of God, who gave us His only Son so that we might have eternal life. Which seems to infer that we need to do something to ensure that each page is full of action for the Lord, serving the needs of His people! Our guest Wednesday put it like this: “All God wants from us is EVERYTHING!” In contrast, it would seem that THE RICH MAN in today’s Gospel JUST WANTS TO KEEP EVERYTHING!
This past month, besides one of the hottest months on record, has given us five Sundays in which to continue to understand what it means to be a Disciple.
Using the example of where to sit at the Banquet Table, the month began Sept. 1st asking us to be humble, taking the lower place at the table, instead exalting ourselves as worthy of the highest place. Today’s Gospel shows a RICH MAN WHO WON’T EVEN INCLUDE OTHERS AT HIS TABLE.
The second Sunday of this month challenged us to carry our cross, prioritizing it above even family, reminding us that we must stay focused and totally committed to the demands of discipleship. Today’s Gospel offers us the image of Lazarus in his extreme poverty being totally ignored by a RICH MAN WHO’S PRIORITIES BEGIN WITH HIS FINE GARMENTS.
The third Sunday Recalled the familiar story of the Prodigal Son, emphasizing that it is in God's loving mercy that we should strive to respond to others in need, rejoicing when we find the lost, even running TO them to help! In today’s Gospel, we see a RICH MAN WHO MUST HAVE REPEATEDLY STEPPED OVER “THE LOST” LAZARUS, JUST SO HE COULD EAT OF HIS OWN FATTED CALF ALL BY HIMSELF.
Last Sunday, the fourth Sunday of the month, we reflected on the need for the disciple, to be trustworthy at all times, in small and great matters alike. Today’s Gospel shows a RICH MAN WHO FAILED IN MANY A SMALL MATTER, REFUSING TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THE BASIC NEED THERE ON HIS DOORSTEP, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT HE NO LONGER HAD INFLUENCE OVER THE GREAT MATTER OF HIS ETERNAL PLACE AMONG THE DEAD.
Today, the Prophet Amos looks to us and says, "Woe to the complacent,” which can be defined as a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements, and I’ll add, even in the face of helping to satisfy the greater needs of others. I think the RICH MAN in today’s Gospel fits that definition well, and with regards to being a Disciple, there is no room for complacency when serving our Lord.
But it should be noted when reflecting on today’s Gospel, that there is an interesting transition that we don’t read in today’s excerpt. In the Gospel passages that we’ve heard this month, Jesus was speaking to his Disciples, but in today’s Gospel, Jesus has turned his attention to respond to the hecklers in the crowd, the Pharisees. The missing verse reads, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things [Jesus’ teaching his Disciples] and sneered at him.” Jesus turned and responded teachings such as the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. He’s looking at those who love their stuff more than they desire to serve the needs of others, and he’s showing his Disciples HOW NOT TO BE! Check out Fr. Bryan’s Column in today’s Bulletin… I learned that from him! :)
You see, as our Liturgical Year approaches its conclusion, the Gospel is revealing what I’ll call an Advanced Level of Discipleship… I would argue that a concept like walking together to the next town, two by two, ready to accept hospitality or move on, is a little easier to embrace than that of “hating my mother and father,” leaving everything to follow Jesus. But remember, to give your life to the Lord comes with a very challenging expectation to give it all, trusting that your love story with the Lord will include serving others, and ultimately a place at his heavenly banquet table.
TODAY, THE RICH MAN GIVES NOTHING, and in turn, gets nothing as his reward! Lazarus, on the other hand, who receives nothing from his neighbor, inherits EVERYTHING from the Lord!
DON’T BE LIKE THE RICH MAN!
But let’s be honest… We are, as we’ve all walked by “a Lazarus” or three in our day.
As a Disciple, you are the hands and feet of Christ, so if you see a need, respond to it! If you experience an injustice, help fix it! If you see a Lazarus on your door step, don't step over him or walk on by... Feed him! For as Paul says in the second reading, "[The people of] God, [should] pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness, [and] compete well for the faith. AMEN?
As a Disciple, you are the hands and feet of Christ, so if you see a need, respond to it! If you experience an injustice, help fix it! If you see a Lazarus on your door step, don't step over him or walk on by... Feed him! For as Paul says in the second reading, "[The people of] God, [should] pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness, [and] compete well for the faith. AMEN?
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