Reflection
Today’s gospel seems to present a fairly straightforward parable. A rich man who enjoyed ease and comfort during his life ends up in torment in the nether world, and a poor man who suffered greatly in life is comforted in the bosom of Abraham for eternity. But if we look a little more closely, some odd details seem to jump out. The first thing we notice is that the rich man is the only character in this story who doesn’t have a name. Some have suggested that this is because he represents Everyman, that nameless individual who is a stand-in for all of the human race. But we are specifically told that he wears “…purple garments and fine linen.”
Jesus’s audience would’ve understood the implications of this. At this time, not only was a garment dyed purple extremely expensive (more than half a year’s wages), its use was reserved for the political elite. Anyone else caught wearing garments like this was subject to a fine or imprisonment. So, it’s not just that the rich man had the resources to improve the lot of Lazarus; he also had a responsibility to improve the well-being of all the citizens. And yet, it seems that all he cared about was himself. Even when he finds himself in the nether world, subject to torment, he shows no remorse but asks that Lazarus be sent to comfort him. When this request is denied, he again wants to send Lazarus on a mission to serve his family. As he did in life, he fails to see that Lazarus is also his brother, and not some “thing” simply to be stepped over in the street or used to make his life easier.
The lesson here isn’t simply a duality between rich and poor, but how we see each other, regardless of our social status or wealth. Jesus asks, can we learn to see everyone we encounter as our brother or sister, all part of God‘s family?
Can we treat others, not as objects to be used to further our own desires, but as co-heirs to the Kingdom of God we are building up here on Earth?
It is only in truly accepting all whom we meet as beloved children of God that we will live in the Kingdom.
