A Facebook
“memory” from three years ago today came up on my home screen as I was
beginning my reflection on the Gospel selection from St. Luke in which he
shares the familiar parable of the unnamed rich man and the poor man Lazarus
(Luke 16:19-31). In it, Jesus highlights
how “things” can blind us and hinder our need to reach out to those closest to
us who are in need — the poor.
Lily and I
were at the drive-through at McDonald’s three years ago today, when we saw a
young man standing and shivering in the pouring rain, holding a sign that said
simply, “Need Help”. When Lily saw him,
tears began to form in her eyes, and she asked what we could do for him. I had an all-weather coat in the back seat,
as I was intending to donate it to the local homeless shelter. I had inherited it from my brother Bob when
he passed away. He had purchased it
while on a trip to Alaska. It was a very
heavy, waterproof, lined coat—perfect for that current day’s weather. I had worn it several times in severe
weather, but it no longer fit me. I
could see that the guy standing out in the cold, driving rain was about the
right size, so I had Lily hand it to him.
Both Lily and I noticed the young man’s posture straighten immediately,
and a huge smile formed on his face! As my
compassionate granddaughter and I talked about it on our way home, we discussed
things like how the guy may have become so needy, why others didn’t appear to
‘see’ him (in other words, ignored him), and more importantly, why we both
seemed to feel the same warmth in our souls that the young man felt physically
after donning the coat.
Jesus has
come to free us from our “slavery”.
Freedom is the key to the reality of both poverty and wealth. If we’re attached to material things, we
easily forfeit our freedom…like the rich man in today’s Gospel with his fine
clothes and sumptuous meals. Apparently,
he was so wrapped up in his pleasures that he paid little attention to God or
his fellow human beings…even poor Lazarus begging at his door! The rich man sacrificed his freedom because
of his attachment to the pleasures of wealth – he had turned inward, selfish.
On the other
hand, being poor limits a person’s freedom!
We need a basic share of God’s material gifts to have the leisure of
time and thought to worship God and also be concerned about fellow humans. If a person must spend their every energy
trying to secure basic necessities – wondering about their next meal, or health
or clothing or lodging – then they can hardly focus on God or others. That person has lost their freedom because of
the destitution which is poverty.
The extremes
of wealth or poverty are likely beyond any of us who have the means to read
this post. Yet, Lent 2021 asks us: how free are we?? Are we satisfied with moderation — or are we
constantly yearning for more? For what
do we usually pray? How generous are we
in reaching out to others in our thoughts, our prayer, our deeds? Perhaps selfishness has a grip on us as well
and limits our freedom…
This Lent we
seek renewal in our prayer and our generosity, helping us move beyond
selfishness to reaching out to others…be they the poor beggar at our door, on
our streets, outside of the drive-through at McDonald’s, or the family member
or co-worker or stranger who needs a listening ear and an encouraging
word. Together we can move beyond our
COVID facial masks and social distancing…to sharing healing and life. Jesus and Lazarus call out to us today.
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