Have you seen Lazarus ?

 

Just before Christmas, on the way home from paying the electricity bill, I came across a homeless lady lying in the street in the rain. A security guard was on his radio to report it and arranging for the barangay (local government unit) to see about any medical help they could arrange as motorists peered out of windows and accidently splashed her with rainwater. She regained consciousness and told a bystander that she had not eaten in a long time. Two young men helped her to her feet and onto the sidewalk and shelter near a convenience store. Someone gave her a raincoat as she was shivering while someone went to the store to get her a hot meal. Others spoke with her and waited. 

Oftentimes we wait until the last minute to help and then come through and whilst that’s good what underpins the situation isn’t really. 

I read the other day that, here in the Philippines, the 9 richest Billionaires own as much wealth as the poorest half (55,000,000 or 55 Million ) Filipinos. If we were to weigh in the multi-millionaires and the numerous common or garden millionaires then you get a picture of a seriously polarised and disordered society. Is this what we would expect from the only Catholic nation in Asia ? 

Revisiting scriptures that talk about wealth and particularly insatiable greed and unwillingness to share can be enlightening. The man who built bigger barns to store his wealth, (Luke 12 :16-21) and of course Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16: 19-31) are two striking teachings. What is interesting is what was considered wealthy then and how we think of wealth now. The farmer building larger barns seems like ‘small potatoes’ really and perhaps although his life was taken suddenly and he lost everything in an instant, we do not hear of his eternal destiny. 

For Lazarus and the rich man story though…is a bit different. Again the notion of wealth is rather subdued really. He had fine clothes, dined sumptuously every day; but it doesn’t mention the trappings of extreme or obscene wealth. No private jet, no yacht in the harbour, no 4x4 in the garage, no i-phone or offshore dollar account in Panama or Switzerland and yet his fate is sealed by his complete indifference to Lazarus. He knows he is in need, he knows he can well afford to help and does..…nothing. And such a huge price is paid for that lack of compassion, the loss of his immortal soul, for a lack of charity, unwillingness to share what God had blessed him with. Truly we have nothing that has not been given by God, however clever or hard working, it’s all a gift from God to be used in a proper manner. Lazarus is outside our front doors. 

What we do to others, we do to ourselves and it must go way beyond family and friends to our true brothers and sisters, those who have no one else, that’s where you find true joy and meaning in life. There are many charities that serve the poor. Join. Give. while we still have time.

Charity is the glory of God shining through us

Money can be something of a conundrum in the Christian life, particularly as one part of the world has vast wealth, the other vast poverty and the gap is seemingly ever widening.  Add to this the ‘natural’ tendency towards selfishness and a hostile economic system which encourages a posture of self-preservation; there will be a conflict between compassion and the fear of being irresponsible and winding up in want.

As in all things though, the Gospel turns this issue on its head and points towards eternity “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Furthermore, it encourages us to not be afraid. 

There are good examples to be found in this area; one grandmother I met years ago was given a large gift by her children and grandchildren so she could have the trip of a lifetime. She had never been abroad and after her many years of selfless service and kindness to her family they wanted her to have something special. This was in the mid-nineties at the tail end of the war in Bosnia and the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda. And she gave this gift to the refugees from these two conflicts instead of treating herself. I imagine she is reaping the reward of a lifetime of such acts now.

Another I heard of is a schoolboy who on hearing about the work of a charity in Africa that provides one meal a day for children so they can attend school every day, decided to forgo his birthday and Christmas presents and instead give what would have been spent to enable these children to be fed and get an education. He continued in this discipline year after year and later became a fundraiser to add to this wonderful legacy.

Sacrifice is no longer sacrifice when it is done in love, it is joy to the giver and life to the recipient.

To Die Like an Angel .. A story from Calcutta

One evening we went out and rescued four people off the streets. One of them was in a desperate condition. I told the sisters, "You take care of the others. I will care for this one who is worse off." I did everything for her that my love could do. I put her into bed, and I saw a beautiful smile light up her face. She squeezed my hand and only managed to say two words, "Thank you." And then she closed her eyes.

I couldn't help but ask myself there beside her body, "What would I have said if I had been in her place?" My answer was very simple. I would have said that I was hungry, that I was dying, that I was cold. Or I would have said that this or that part of my body hurt or something like that. But she gave me much more. She gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.