What we need to save ourselves. 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Jesus tells a parable about what happens when you love money and riches. It is about a rich man who lived surrounded by luxury, completely ignoring the poor man who lived at his doorstep. The poor man dies and finds comfort in the afterlife. The rich man dies and goes to hell.

The key message of the parable is that we cannot be indifferent to the poor and their needs. We cannot live selfishly in comfort while exploiting the poor or living at their expense. We will be punished for it in the next life. The poor and the wretched will be consoled; those who exploit them will be punished. But in addition, we will be punished not only for abusing or exploiting the poor, but even for ignoring them. We will be punished for the evil we did and for the good we did not do.

The rich man in the parable did not treat the poor man badly: he did not throw him out, he simply ignored him, while he lived surrounded by luxuries, "he dressed in purple and linen and feasted every day.". The purple dye could be afforded only by the rich. The rich man would not even give him his leftovers. The man was full of wounds, but he was too weak to chase away the dogs that came to lick them. Or maybe the dogs were trying to show him a little compassion when the humans would not.

The desire for wealth and comfort, always wanting more, makes us insensitive and hard-hearted. The first reading offers ancient examples of luxurious living that are actually very modern. It is a hedonistic lifestyle based on expensive possessions, pampering of the body, and overindulgence in food and drink. The conclusion is that the rich have received their reward on earth and can only expect torment in eternity.

But the Gospel also conveys another message. When the rich man sees that there is no way to escape Hell, he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, so that they do not also go to Hell. Note that the text speaks clearly about the reality of Hell. The quid of Abraham's answer is that God has already given us all the teachings we need to avoid Hell and get to Heaven, and that we should not expect extraordinary revelations. God gives us this teaching through the Bible, the teaching of the Church and its priests, and through our conscience.

Today's Gospel makes it clear that God gives us everything we need to save ourselves: this includes all the teaching and guidance we need, but also opportunities to do good to those in need, since, as our Lord clearly teaches elsewhere (Mt 25:31-46), we must also perform works of mercy to be welcomed in Heaven.