The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

It is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time and today’s gospel is one of my favorite parables. Today’s parable is a great lesson for all of us as it gives us an idea of what happens in the afterlife, and more importantly, that what we do or not do here on this earth will have a consequence in heaven. You can read the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31.

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19 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’27 “He answered, Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

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What does this parable teaches all Christians? First of all, that there is an afterlife, that when we die our lives are not ended or terminated, but there is indeed a place that awaits us either in heaven or in hell. So many people especially those atheists insist that when we die, it is the end of our lives. What they are telling you is that our Lord Jesus Christ is a liar! If there is anything that most Christians believe, it is that our Lord Jesus as written in the Gospel of John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Another lesson that we learned through this gospel teaching is that the rich man did not do anything bad to Lazarus when they were still alive. So why was he sent to a place of torment in Hades? Actually what the rich man didn’t do to Lazarus was an act of omission. While he did not dismiss the poor man from his table, he did not give him charity by letting his sit properly or have his servants administer some kind of cure for his sores. Instead, he allowed his dogs to lick through his wounds when in fact he really needed some personal care.

Another reality we must learn to accept is that there is a deep chasm that separates Hades from heaven, which means that even if those who are already in heaven pity those in Hades they cannot help them. So the most important lesson we need to totally understand in today’s parable is that, were we end up in the afterlife totally depends on how we treat people here on earth.

As we learned from Matt. 22:30-36 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ the second is this, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ No other commandment is greater that these.” So change your life now, go to confession, and be restored to the friendship of God.