Praise the Lord, my soul! (Psalm 145)
The parable in today’s Gospel has been the bedrock of all Christian social justice initiatives since Luke wrote it and always will be while Christianity lasts.
We see that the rich man was not overtly cruel to Lazarus; he just did not care about – or even see – Lazarus, hungry and begging for crumbs at his door. (It is important to note that Jesus does not give the rich man a name, whereas Lazarus is known to his Father personally.)
The story is so vividly told that no one reading it can feel excused from charitable works. It has this compelling force that has moved and inspired Christians from the beginning. Less obvious is the power and salvation that comes forth from the Bible. Jesus tells us himself that “listening to Moses or to the prophets,…..” repenting and living accordingly will secure the rich man’s five brothers a home with Abraham.
