Luke 16:19-31

Encountering Christ:
Wealth/Duty: In this parable, Jesus does not condemn wealth, per se, but reminds all of us that the wealthy have a serious moral obligation to help the poor. For generations, Catholic social teaching as Pope Leo XIV reminds us, has emphasised this responsibility: ‘…Remember the aphorism of the Fathers, ‘Feed the man dying of hunger, because if you have not fed him, you have killed him…' (Gaudium et Spes, no. 69). ‘Love for others, and in the first-place love for the poor, in whom the Church sees Christ himself, is made concrete in the promotion of justice' (Centesimus Annus).

Warn My Brothers: The rich man cared little for Lazarus, but he apparently loved his five brothers enough to ask that they be warned: ‘lest they too come to this place of torment.' How many of us go about our day-to-day duties, forgetful of the poor, distracted, worried, or simply refusing to acknowledge the prophets of our time - saints, good priests, holy friends - who remind us daily that Jesus Christ came back from the dead to save us from our sins?

Christ Became Poor for Us: Christ became poor so that we might be wealthy - not one day in heaven, but right here, right now. He bestowed on us a royal identity through our Baptism. He feeds us with bread from heaven to sustain us on our journey. He forgives our sins so that we can begin over and over. He also showers us with spiritual wealth by the love he sends us through others. Our hearts are full of gratitude, but are we willing to become poor for others in imitation of Our Lord? To give without counting costs? To serve the outcast? To defend the weak?