In this week’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts the life of a rich man and a poor man. The poor man, Lazarus, lives most of his life in the shadow of the rich man and his wealth. When both die, Lazarus finds himself in heaven and the rich man in the netherworld. The rich man begs for assistance from Lazarus—asking him to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.” It is then that God reminds the rich man of the good things he had in his life and describes the current situation as a reversal of fortunes. The rich man then asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his family, “lest they too come to this place of torment,” but this is also denied.  “‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”

This last point underlines the seductive power of wealth—not even a miracle will convince those of us caught in its spell of its insignificance.  In our world of plenty, it’s easy to look to others who have more than us and forget how much we have ourselves.  There’s always someone with a bigger house, or a nicer car, or a more expensive watch.  We might not even consider ourselves wealthy at all, but compared to most people in the world, who have few possessions and little access to crucial resources, it’s clear who the rich man is and who is Lazarus in our current era.

In this video, Collons, a young boy in Tabaka, Kenya, shares his joy over flushing toilets and clean, running water. He shows his excitement about things we take for granted.

 

Can you imagine living without sinks and faucets and hot running water and toilets that flush?  Most of us wash our hands and never think twice about it, but in many parts of the world this simple, life-saving activity is just a dream.  The message this week is clear:  Let us take care of our brothers and sisters who struggle, to allow them to feel the comforts of love and care. Then we too will feel the comfort of heaven. May we all remind ourselves of just how wealthy and blessed we are, and work together to provide more children like Collons with plentiful supplies of the things we often take for granted: clean water, food, and the chance to go to school.

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*Today’s reflection is inspired by and adapted from the Loyola Press Sunday Connection.