Am I my brother's keeper?

Today, we hear the famous parable of "The Rich Man and Lazarus" (Luke 16:19-31). It is a story warning those people whose hearts are numbed by riches, people who are insensitive to the plights of the poor.
People will easily protest, complaining that they are not rich, unlike those who often enjoy a glass of red wine which is worth tens of thousands of dollars. In comparison, the description in Amos is no exaggeration at all: lying upon beds of ivory, eating lambs and calves, singing idle songs, drinking wine in bowls and anointing themselves in finest oils (Amos 6:4-6). Our luxury nowadays is much more than that. Even a man of middle-class can afford that, except for ivory which is banned for conservation reasons. But that is not the issue. The point is not about luxury or no luxury or the degree of luxury. Rather, our fault lies in our indifference towards the plights of the poor, our failure to extend a helping hand to improve their situation. We are sinful, not because of our riches, but our inconsideration. Therefore, whether you are rich or poor. As long as you refuse to become your brother's keeper, you are sinful.

I don't like the Chinese translation of Luke 16:25. It reads
亞巴郎說：孩子，你應記得你活著的時候，已享盡了你的福，而拉匝祿同樣也受盡了苦。
Abraham said,"Son, you should remember when you were alive, you had already enjoyed all your good and likewise, Lazarus had suffered all his bad."
However, the Greek original does not have the meaning of "all"!
εἶπεν δὲ Ἀβραάμ, Τέκνον, μνήσθητι ὅτι ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου, καὶ Λάζαρος ὁμοίως τὰ κακά.
ἀπέλαβες means "receive, obtain, gain" and does not suggest any meaning of "all".
Perhaps the Franciscan friars wanted to satisfy the Chinese Buddhist mentality which believed that we are destined a certain amount of wealth and health. When we used it up, we would suffer in this life or next. This translation is not faithful to the Greek original, but natural to the Chinese readers.

In his homily this morning, Fr. Martin told us a little story which empowers us to extend a helping hand no matter what little we can help.
A company of 3000 employees has a "winner takes all" tradition in their annual dinner. Each one puts $10 in a box and writes his own name on a piece of paper and drops it in the lucky draw box. One name will be drawn and the winner will pocket the $30,000.
This year, when Jack put his $10 in the box, he remembered Rose, a janitor, whose husband would undergo a surgery which was a heavy financial burden on the couple. Though the chance was slim, Simon put down Rose's name on his paper and dropped it in the lucky draw box. That evening, a miracle happened. Rose turned out to be the winner!
After dinner, out of curiosity, Simon came to the lucky draw box and drew another name. It was Rose. He drew again. It was Rose again. He couldn't believe it. He took out several ballots. Each, in different handwritings, was Rose!
The conclusion:「 勿以善小而不為。」
Don't think that a good is so insignificant that it is not worth doing.
This statement is commonly attributed to the will of Liao Bi to his son.
Relating to the Manila tragedy, Fr. Martin reminded us to seize the moment to do good, however little it seems to be. The tragedy forcibly reminded us that we might not be able to see tomorrow.

Dear Lord, help us love more generously. Amen.