Right before Marty and his wife, Sari, enter a McDonald’s, a dirty man comes up to Marty, smiles, and touches him. Marty asks, “Do you want anything?” The man nods, pointing to the picture of a burger and drink.

The security guard of the store pushes the man away, but Marty smiles, invites the man to sit down, and orders food at the counter. When the food comes, Marty eats with the dirty man and asks him questions.

Three years later, the dirty man is now the loyal security guard at Marty’s business office and also their family driver. He is loved by Marty and his two kids.

When Marty ate with the beggar, he found him to be an intelligent high school graduate who was abandoned by family and became homeless. Marty knew he was a good man, but circumstances made him who he was.

Just as God didn’t discard us in the filthiness of our sin, so should we look at others with His eyes. Who knows, you might be His instrument to change a person’s life. Chelle S. Crisanto (ellehcmaria@gmail.com)

reflect

“God uses ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary plan.” (Unknown)

Lord, use me to be Your instrument of salvation to others.

Saint Cleophas, pray for us.

First Reading | Amos 6:1, 4-7

The rich generally do not have a care in the world. It is disgusting to see the way the uber wealthy live in privilege and luxury while many people suffer in poverty. Do you think they will be able to justify their lives come Judgment Day? May the rich take a look at their lives and realize the need to change their way of living. Reading divorce proceedings of the rich where they say they cannot live on less than a million dollars a week is an abomination and has nothing to do with justice at all.

¹ Thus says the Lord the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! ⁴ Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall! ⁵ Improvising to the music of the harp, like David, they devise their own accompaniment. ⁶ They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph! ⁷ Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R: Praise the Lord, my soul!

⁷ Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives good to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. (R) ⁸ The Lord gives sight to the blind. The Lord raises up those that were bowed down; the Lord loves the just. ⁹ The Lord protects strangers. (R) The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. ¹⁰ The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. (R)

Second Reading | 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Paul encourages Timothy to “compete well in the faith.” This is the only thing worth giving our lives to. Money, wealth, and fame will all pass away. Love and service endure in the minds and hearts of those we leave behind. What legacy do you want to leave behind—a tribute to self-centeredness and self-aggrandizement? Let us build legacies of service and love that people will continue long after we are gone.

¹¹ But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. ¹² Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ ¹⁵ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

Gospel | Luke 16:19-31

Today’s parable is confronting, as it makes no attempt to hide the truth that we have to make our choices now while we can and not after we have died. The rich man has a multitude of opportunities to share his wealth with Lazarus but is too selfish to share. It is only after he dies that he sees his mistake and it is too late. Let us not fall into the same trap and embrace the call to share everything we’ve been given to those in need. This is what true love commands us to do.

Gospel Acclamation

Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

¹⁹ Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. ²⁰ And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. ²² When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ ²⁵ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. ²⁶ Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ ²⁷ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ ³⁰ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Reflect:

What “good” have you been enjoying in your life so far? What trials and struggles have you experienced?

Read the Bible in one year! Read EZEKIEL 5 - 8 today.

The Danger of Riches

A rich man brought his silver to a monk, asking why he was still unhappy despite his wealth. The monk put a see-through glass in front of the man and asked, “What do you see?” The man replied, “I see everything—you, the trees, the people walking in the streets.” The monk then melted the silver, painted it on one side of the glass, and the glass became a mirror. He put it in front of the man and asked again, “Now what do you see?” “I see only myself,” the man replied. “That’s the danger of riches,” the monk continued, “it makes you see only yourself.”

Did you notice in the Gospel today that Lazarus was named, but the rich man was not? Giving no name to someone who is rich seems to be a pedagogical style of Jesus whenever He would teach about riches. Names designate relationship and the beginning of intimacy. When I know your name, we can begin to have a relationship. We can grow in intimacy.

I think Jesus kept the rich in His parables nameless to emphasize the isolating danger of riches. If we are not careful, riches can isolate us from the rest. This is why the rich man in another of Jesus’ parables (see Luke 12:13-2) was simply called a “fool,” or idiotes in Greek. Literally, idiotes means one who is isolated or alone.

Selfishness can lead us to isolation. The fear of sharing can drive us to hoard things. Generosity builds bridges; selfishness erects walls of isolation. The Gospel today speaks of a greater kind of isolation and loneliness, one that separates us not only from others (the rich man totally ignored Lazarus and passed him by daily) but ultimately from the Kingdom (Lazarus ended up in the bosom of Abraham while the rich man ended up in hell).

Jesus calls all of us to the joy of being in a community that is built by communion and sharing. We do not have to be rich in order to give. We only have to give from the heart. When we give from the heart, we are embraced by the heart of God. Fr. Joel O. Jason

reflection question

Is your wealth increasing? Don’t build higher walls to hide. Build longer tables to share.

I thank You, Lord, for all Your providence. Allow them not to stand in the way, but rather be the way to You and others. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ______________________________________________________