TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
25th September 2022
Amos 6:1,4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31.
The parable in today’s gospel reminds us of the Christian obligation to care for the poor. According to the parable, the rich man had the privilege to excessive wealth while the poor man Lazarus lived in abject poverty. Both men died and Lazarus went to heaven while the rich man found himself in Hades- the place of torment. The offense of the rich man was his indifference to the presence and the condition of Lazarus.
The Christian obligation towards the poor is based on the understanding that man is a being unto others. God did not create man in isolation. There is a connectedness that exist amongst created things. The inequalities of life does not to depict an unjust God. They exist to serve as catalysts to enhance the connectedness that should characterise creation. When we foster this connectedness, we abolish poverty. There will always be poor people but the recognition of the poor will abolish poverty. There is need for a personal and collective recognition of the poor in our midst.
The indifference of the rich man to the condition of Lazarus, breeds rather than destroy poverty. Poverty will disappear in our midst if we obey the simple command of God to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. We do not need a miracle to abolish poverty. All we need is to look within ourselves to see the connectedness in God’s creation.
Fr Anthony Ekpunobi, CM.
