The Poor Man's Heaven. The Rich Man's Hell

Lazarus and the Rich Man

There is a lot of talk about religion out there.  What passes for Christianity in some quarters not only bears no resemblance to the Founder's vision of faith, it is down right immoral.

The current crop of right wing religionists in the House of Representatives deny food stamps to the poor in direct contradiction to the Founder's admonition; "Feed My Sheep". (John 21).

Now they want to deny health care to the poor and the 48 million Americans who have no health care, in direct contradiction to the Founder's admonition; "visit the sick in their distress". (Matthew 25:36)

It is fitting that the Gospel for this last Sunday would be the famous story of the rich man and Lazarus. They both died. But the rich man went into Hades (an interesting Greek concept for the afterlife) and Lazarus, the poor man went into the bosom of Abraham where he was comforted and filled with good things.

When the rich man begs Lazarus to send someone from the dead to tell us about the consequences of our behavior in this life, Lazarus explains that a great chasm separates the rich from the poor; and Heaven from Hell. And so it does. The great chasm between the rich and the poor is exceeded only by the chasm between the poor who are comforted in the bosom of Abraham and the rich who rest in torment.

Read the original if you don't believe me.

Let us pray for the rich and the poor in this country that we may find a way to close the chasm to make the salvation of all possible. Read these words carefully. If ever there were a headline for America to read today, this is it!

Religionists, please take note.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ’

The Poor Shall be Filled; The Rich Sent Away!

Palm Sunday 2013

“He Shall Fill the Hungry with Good Things”

By Fr Paul Bresnahan

This is Mary’s song. It is one of the great song’s of faith sung at the time when the Archangel Gabriel came to the young maiden with the news that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her, and she shall then bring forth a son who will be called the Prince of Peace.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
    and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
    the lowliness of his handmaiden.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
    and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
This is the promise he made to our forefathers,
    Abraham and his seed for ever.

Thus Jesus was born to bring Good News to the Poor and he said so in the synagogue in his hometown. They nearly pitched him headlong over the precipice of a nearby cliff for saying so, but that’s what he said. Then at the end of his ministry he made this pronouncement: namely, that all the nations of the earth would be judged in accordance with how well they would treat the poorest of the poor, for as Jesus said; “Insofar as you have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me.” ~Matthew 25: 31ff.

It is in this spirit that we gather this Palm Sunday yet again singing our songs of faith. “We are marching in the Light of Christ”, “All Glory, Laud and Honor” and of course, “The Palms” de rigueur. Then at the end of the service we sing “Ride on ride on in Majesty, in Lowly Pomp Ride on to Die.”

The day began with such hope and promise. The children and all those happy throngs who spread their garments and palm branches along his way. They were his beloved; the poor and the lame, the blind, and the leper, the sin sick souls for whom there was no room in the Temple. These were the ones who sang their Humble Hosannas to their Lowly King.

Then he entered the Temple, and just when we thought this would be the day of his exaltation, he upset the tables of the moneychangers, he made a whip and drove them out of the Temple, saying “My House shall be a House of Prayer for All People, but you have made it a den of robbers!” Never had we seen our Lord so angry, even violent. And with that, of course he sealed his fate. For now those in power, especially among the Sanhedrin and the Roman occupation forces, had no choice but to have him done away with. Not only was he a threat to custom and tradition, he could have mobilized these masses of poor and the subsequent uprising could upset more than a few tables in the Temple Precincts, they could have upset the entire theological and political world they knew.

Then, as we know from the dramatic reading of today’s Passion Narrative, he was arrested, tried, convicted and crucified in the most shameful way the Roman authorities had available to them; on a cross, with two more bandits and political insurrectionists.

Which brings us back now to Mary’s Song.

With what shall he fill the hungry now?

How shall the humble and meek be exalted?

In what way shall the proud be scattered in the imagination of their hearts?

How shall the rich be sent empty away?

When we look at history and even in current events, things are more like a line from an old song: “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. Funny the title of that song is “Ain’t we got fun”, as if to acknowledge money isn’t everything, and as if to acknowledge the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

What then does Jesus promise on the cross? 

At first, no there’s no doubt about it; he promises nothing more than the suffering and death that all human nature must feed on. 

Is the cross our food?

So it seems and so terrified are the disciples that they flee away and Peter himself denies him three times before the cock crows twice.

Only the women are left, to console one another in their inconsolable grief.

Is this our fate?

Is it ever to be so?

Or will there ever be a time when Justice reigns in human society?

As we await the answer to that question, Mary still sings her song as if by solemn warning;

My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
    and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
    the lowliness of his handmaiden.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
    and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
This is the promise he made to our forefathers,
    Abraham and his seed for ever.

And with what shall we be fed?

Now we know.

Because for us, it is as Paul said

“He humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death--

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord”

Thus the dynamic of humility and exaltation are pointed together directly at the center of the heart of Jesus. In that Cross of Christ then we too are humbled as Jesus and Mary have been humbled before us in order that we too shall be greatly exalted.

As for the proud the rich and the powerful, particularly as they turn their backs on the poor. I’m not so sure they are so much to be envied as I sense it from the Song of Mary or the Preaching of Jesus. For in the Divine economy these tables are indeed upset, when the measures of forgiveness and eternal life are factored into God’s Justice.

As God stands as our Judge, we sing our songs of faith as millions have done before us, and Mary did the moment Gabriel brought her the Good News of the pending birth of her son.

So then no matter how poor I may be, no matter how empty I may feel, no matter with what suffering I must endure; this I know, as I embrace the Cross of Christ, I too shall be humbled for a season as Jesus was, but then I shall also be greatly exalted as Jesus himself is exalted.

So now the Song of Mary and the songs of our faith lift our spirits as they always do and we live out our faith in the knowledge and love of God in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose embrace all of us live and move and have our being.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of The Holy Spirit.

Fr. Paul