![]() ![]() ![]() There is so much suffering in the world that we feel helpless to improve. This is a message we contemporary Christians can relate to. He went on about his comfortable life with no regard for the suffering on his own doorstep. Lazarus was like a fixture outside the doors of his home the rich man had stopped seeing him, even though he was there. Instead, he was guilty of the insidious condition of desensitization. The rich man was likely not guilty of evil and hatred toward Lazarus. Once again the master storyteller has provided us with a strong and unforgettable image to convey his equally strong and unforgettable message. It is hard to imagine a man who would daily walk past a starving man covered in sores on his doorstep. When we read and study the Gospels, we must understand that we are not only the disciples of Jesus we are also the Pharisees. The parables of Jesus urge his audience-including and especially the Pharisees-to reassess themselves in light of his challenging message. But the great error of the Pharisees is the error of us all-an inability to think outside the box of our own minds and an unwillingness to hold ourselves to the same standards to which we hold everyone else. We may be tempted to vilify the Pharisees and see them as the archenemies of Jesus who are nothing like us. We also have a continuation of the themes of repentance and the dangers of wealth.Ī first thing to notice is that Jesus is once again speaking to the Pharisees. Our last Gospel reading for the month continues the trend of unique parables from Luke. ![]() The following is re-published with permission from my column in Catechist magazine: "Lessons for the Sunday Gospels." For subscription information, visit. ![]()
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