September 26, 2004: Spiritual Omission

The Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A friend of mine from Atlanta told me a funny story not too long ago. He was getting ready to leave on a business trip when he realized that he needed some same-day dry cleaning. He remembered passing a store with a huge sign that read, “One-Hour Dry Cleaners,” so he drove over there first thing in the morning to drop off his suit. He told the clerk, “I need this back in an hour.”

She said, “Oh, I’m sorry, but I can’t get it back to you until Thursday.”

“But I thought you did dry cleaning in an hour!” my friend said.

“No,” she said. “That’s just the name of our store.”

There’s a message in there for those of us who call ourselves Catholics. If we identify ourselves as such but then don’t follow through… if we fail to act like Christ… then we create confusion and disillusionment for people who don’t yet believe or whose faith is weak… scandal, you might say.

I bring this up because the Gospel parable about Lazarus illustrates the same point. The rich man identifies himself as an observant Jew—a son of Abraham. He even addresses Abraham as “Father Abraham.” He hasn’t been a bad sort, really. And it’s not a sin to be wealthy or to eat well. Yet somehow he didn’t reach out enough and share the blessings God had bestowed on him with his neighbor in need—personified by poor Lazarus, covered with sores and famished, lying at his doorstep. You see, it was, and is, an affirmative obligation of every Jew to practice tzedakah—charity, justice, righteousness.

So through the rich man’s omission, he missed a crucial chance to serve God. In fact, if he had only made sure that Lazarus had a morsel to eat and a cloak to wear—such easy things for the wealthy, really!—that rich man would have been a decent person in God’s eyes and would have been welcomed to share the Father’s presence. Instead, the rich man remained so closed up on himself and his own circle of rich family members and friends, that he missed his chance to make it into heaven. Jesus tells the Pharisees this story in the hope that they won’t make the same mistake.

Even with our New Testament mentality, Jesus fully expects us to live by the same standard. It’s not enough to be a “basically good person.” It’s not enough that we do no harm. No, we must go out of our way to do works of charity and share the gifts that God has given us—whether it’s our wealth, our time or our labors of love.

Happily, I think most of us here today know this. You are very generous in supporting your church and community. You drop your envelopes in the basket, you volunteer your time, and you help out in so many ways. So maybe you’re thinking—very privately, of course—“whew! that’s one parable that’s not aimed at me.”

Well, let me burst your bubble just a little! That’s the same point that Our Lord made in another famous parable: the one about the tax-collector and the Pharisee. The righteous Pharisee said, “Thank God I’m not like that awful tax-collector!” while the tax-collector cast his eyes down and beat his chest while he prayed, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus told us the humble tax-collector was the better man in God’s eyes!

My point is this: our mercy towards other people is not just meant to be of the physical kind, but also of the spiritual kind. How are you doing in that department?

Are you giving good example and witness by praying openly? When was the last time you said grace in a restaurant—or at home, for that matter? Do you go to confession regularly and give public witness that you’re not too proud to seek God’s mercy? Do you come to Mass and invite people who don’t normally go to church to join you in this highest expression of worship in the whole world? Do you live an active faith life and prayer life at home with your children and family—praying together, speaking about God, the angels, the saints? Do you do your duty as parents and send your children to Catholic school instead of public school? Do you stand up and defend your religion when someone challenges you or makes a moral claim that is obviously in error, or do you just keep quiet and let it pass? Do you talk about Jesus with friends and relatives and make Him an important friend and topic of conversation in your life—or is He just a private, Sunday thing? Shhh… In other words, are you living a proud, Catholic life for all the world to see or are you living a life of spiritual omission, hiding your light under a bushel basket?

Let me challenge you further with a follow-up question: what do you suppose God thinks of the kind of Catholic life you’re leading? To put it into perspective, I think the rich man in the Gospel, while he was still alive, would have rated himself pretty well… yet unfortunately, he was gauging himself by the world’s standard… not by Christ’s. And as Jesus teaches us today, that’s not good enough at all.

The rich man in the parable today, as we know, didn’t find this out until it was too late. His life was over and there was nothing more he could do.

For us, fortunately, there is still the time and a way to fix things. God wants each and every one of us to be saved—but as a pre-condition, He wants us to choose to be the loving and generous person He created us to be. Don’t wait to get hit over the head with a lightning bolt, because it probably isn’t going to happen. Instead, hear God tugging at your heartstrings and your conscience.

Don’t be afraid to rise to His challenge. The Lord will help you step by step. He’ll take you under His wing and gently show you the way if you let Him. May this message touch your heart and draw you more deeply into God’s love. Amen.


Today’s Readings:
Amos 6, 1–7
Psalm 146
1 Timothy 6, 11–16
Luke 16, 19–31