Twenty Sixth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: A Spectrum of Mercy 慈悲的光譜
Jesus Christ did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, like all the Jews in all generations, all Christians are also called to sainthood enshrined in the Torah. “Sanctify yourselves, then, and be holy; for I, the Lord, your God am holy.” (Leviticus 20:7) Peter, the Prince of the Apostles also echoes the same reminder. “As He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.” (1 Peter 1:15) Is this Christian call to sanctification too demanding for our fragile humanity? But anything less would do injustice to the image of God (Genesis 1:26)! I’m sure with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to achieve it.
In order to make this call to sainthood more accessible to the Gentiles, Luke did a wonderful job in the gospel which bears his name. He says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36) In fact, the gospel of Luke is a gospel of mercy in which he leaves us such classics as the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and the Rich Man and Lazarus etc. A spectrum of mercy is portrayed before the eyes of the readers. The parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are obvious parables of mercy. You may wonder why the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is also a parable of mercy. Let me explain.
Last week, we read of Amos’ criticisms against those who exploit the poor. “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!” (Amos 8:7) This week, Amos turns to another group of people who don’t look wicked at all --- the rich and the powerful! “Those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge upon their couches, eating lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall; who improvise to the music of the harp, composing on musical instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils, but are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph.” (6:4-6) You may wonder what the rich and the powerful are guilty of. We don’t need uniformity of life style, say a CEO of an international corporation must eat a $10-meal like a janitor sweeping the street, do we? The rich and the powerful enjoy high living standards which they are able to afford and their luxury sustains the consumption market making the society prosperous. Moreover, they elevate the cultural standard of a country. Hong Kong used to be called a “cultural desert”. Now the situation has improved. More local galleries are set up and more global auctions of artistic artefacts are held annually here in Hong Kong etc.
Furthermore, can we blame the rich and the people in power for being indifferent to “the collapse of Joseph”? That is hard to establish. It is true that in different civilizations, there have been kings who were more interested in cultural matters while their kingdoms collapsed. For example, Nabonidus the Babylonian emperor who was interested in archaeology and religious reforms had his Babylonian Empire conquered by Cyrus the Persian king without putting up a fight. In China, the last emperor of Southern Tang, Li Yu 李煜 is immortalized as the “King of Lyrics for A Thousand Generations”. Alas! Which empire or kingdom on earth is eternal, except the Kingdom of Heaven? On what ground can we blame someone who happened to be the last emperor?
In this parable, allowing a poor person to die is not a legal issue. No legal system on earth can convict the rich man for negligence leading to the death of Lazarus! To a certain extent, it can be a moral issue because though the rich man did not directly murder Lazarus, most people would feel that it is immoral of him to omit actions within his means and allow a person to die unnecessarily. The case against the rich man becomes stronger because he knew Lazarus (Luke 16:24) and Lazarus was physically near to him, just lying at his door (16:20). Yet, the rich man did nothing to alleviate the plights of Lazarus. It is less immoral than directly killing Lazarus. Nevertheless, it is immoral.
Of course, the rich man is entitled to enjoy whatever he possesses and to dispose of his possessions at his pleasure. We have to respect his right to private property. Moreover, the rich man might counter that Lazarus deserves to suffer because he was lazy and is now punished by God etc. He could have many excuses under his sleeves for not helping Lazarus. We can only protest that it is morally pungent to omit beneficent actions towards Lazarus while you can. Other than that, it is impossible to pass any moral judgment on the rich man.
It is a spiritual issue, an issue on mercy. Why is an issue of mercy a spiritual issue? It is because for the moment we are living in the universe of Luke. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (6:37) For us Gentiles, being merciful leads us to sainthood. Then, why is this parable a parable of mercy and not a parable of justice? Take a look at the choice of characters. There is no God, neither a king nor a master. Instead we have Abraham! Remember the Magnificat? The Blessed Virgin Mary says, “… remembering His mercy, according to His promise to … Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (1:54-55) God is honouring His promise in this parable by showing mercy. Now, let’s continue with our meditation.
Which of the two do we feel pitiful, the rich man or Lazarus? Naturally, most people would feel sorry for Lazarus. But think again. Lazarus ends up in consolation while the rich man in torment (16:25). Don’t you feel sorry for the rich man? Naturally, we would say he deserves the torment and justice has prevailed etc. Wait, are we making use of one of the rich man’s excuses that Lazarus deserves to suffer? No wonder Jesus reminds us not to judge (Matthew 7:1). Can we suspend our judgment and try again? Whom deserves mercy, the rich man or Lazarus? Let me assure you. Both of them deserve!
The rich man is rich in materials which take away too much of his attention so that he has no room to establish quality relations with God and with men. That probably explains the “great chasm” which nobody is able to cross to the other side (Luke 16:26), probably not even God. But isn’t God almighty? What can stop God from crossing it?
Yes, God is almighty and no because God would not contradict Himself. He created us in His image. Thus, we inherited His freedom which He should respect. He would be happy to see us return to Him but He should never force us to repent. Furthermore, to guarantee that He would not overstep, God established covenants with humanity to restrain Himself. Therefore, we cannot blame God for our damnation. It is the choices which we have made throughout our lives that build up or dismantle the chasm between us and God, between us and our neighbour. Unlike the parable of Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25, nobody sent the rich man to the netherworld in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus! He found himself there after he was buried (16:22-23).
God has been waiting patiently for the rich man to repent. He is merciful in sending Lazarus, meaning “God helps” to offer the rich man opportunities to repent; and is ready to forgive the moment he repents. Pay attention to the fact that Lazarus never utters a single word in the parable. His plights speak volume! Had the rich man been merciful and compassionate for the plights of Lazarus and had acted to alleviate them, the chasm would not have been too deep to cross! Thus, it is a spiritual issue all along. Now would you still feel that the rich man deserves to suffer? If you would, perhaps you should read the story of Jonah again. Or would you feel compassionate for the rich man because of the burden he bore throughout his life, struggling to survive among the thorns?
Brethren! Luke has portrayed for us a spectrum of mercy. At one end, there is a Good Samaritan who goes all the way to show mercy to an enemy who is a brother in his eyes. It is a mercy shown among equals. At the opposite end, there is a rich man who allows a brother to die like an alien, rejecting God’s gift of mercy. It is still a mercy shown among equals. The Prodigal Son is in the middle. The father has to show his mercy to both sons. It is a mercy shown from above.
Brethren! I am confident in the apostle’s word that Jesus intercedes for us at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34). The merciful Lord will go all the way out to deliver the rich man in His mercy in an ineffable way that we are unable to understand. Amen.
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: jesusfilm.org
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