Self-Centeredness

My dear Friends in Christ,

Today’s Gospel is really a story about self-centeredness. The rich man lived in isolated luxury, absorbed with the latest in fashion and the finest in dining. He did not hurt anyone. He didn’t run Lazarus off his property. He didn’t mind Lazarus hanging around his table for the leftovers. He didn’t criticize him for not getting a job to earn a living. Then what was the rich man’s sin? He didn’t treat Lazarus as a person. To the rich man, Lazarus was simply a part of the landscape. How many people do we come in contact with, perhaps repeatedly, who are nothing more to us than part of the landscape? The rich man did not notice the suffering of Lazarus until he was brought to suffering himself. Because he spent all his energy and fortune in avoiding suffering, he was totally absorbed in self. The meaning of his life was completely temporal, and in the end he had nothing to show for it. One of our greatest sufferings in purgatory will be the realization that we could have done so much more for the salvation of souls. Sometimes, being indifferent is worse than showing some type of emotion whether good or bad. The rich man lost out because he did not notice Lazarus. He did not reach out to help when he had every opportunity to do so. He ended up and suffered in Hades precisely because of the indifference he showed towards the human suffering. We should never overlook someone who is in need.

The Annual Catholic Appeal continues. We are at 56% of our parish goal of $50,000. If you haven’t pledged, please consider doing so.

May God bless you all,

Father John