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Rich man, poor man

COMMENTARY XXVI READINGS SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. CYCLE C

1 st Reading: Amos 6, 1st. 4-7

Thus says the Lord Almighty: "Woe to those who rely on and trust Zion Mount Samaria! I acostáis on beds of ivory, lying on beds, eat lambs from the flock and calves from the barn; canturreáis with the harp, invent, like David, musical instruments, drink fortified wines, UNGIS you with the best perfumes and do not be a disaster doléis Joseph. So go into exile at the head of the captives. Gone is the orgy of wanton. "

Psalm 145: Praise, my soul, the Lord.

2 nd Reading: I Timothy 6, 11-16

Man of God, practice righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fighting the good fight of faith. Conquest eternal life to which you were called, and you did noble profession before many witnesses. In the presence of God who gives life to the universe, and of Christ Jesus, who gave testimony before Pontius Pilate, I insist that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in time will show blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the sole possessor of immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen nor can see. In his honor and everlasting power. Amen.

Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31

At that time, Jesus told the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple and linen and feasted splendidly every day. And a beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and wanting to be fed with what they pulled the rich man's table. And even the dogs approached him to lick his wounds. It happened that the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And, being in hell, in the midst of torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and cried: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip into the fingertip water and cool my tongue, because I torture these flames. "
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that you received your good in life, and Lazarus, in turn, males: why is this consolation, while you suffer. And, between us and you open a huge gap, so they can not cross, even if they want, from here to you, nor can move from there to us. "The rich insisted:" Please, then, father, send Lazarus to my father, for I have five brothers, so that with his testimony, do they also come to this place of torment. "Abraham says," They Moses and the prophets, let them hear. "The rich man replied," No, father Abraham. But if you go to see them dead, they will repent. "Abraham said," If they hear not Moses and the prophets, they will ignore or even resurrect the dead. "

RICH MAN, POOR MAN

The familiar parable of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of today and the two previous readings clearly speak of eternal life and that we will have to, to get into it, all our actions and attitudes in the present life.

could bring to mind the title of a famous television series, but adding some brackets: Rich Man (and ruthless, in this life), poor man (the eternal).

I could say the Lord most high, but no more clear: God will avenge. The poor receive long reward from God, infinitely just, and that misery in this life happens because of those who accumulate wealth and forget those without in the least. The parable shows that today this reality so clearly, and the Gospel as a whole, begin as a call to justice in this world, with the warning of the expected sentence eternal life to the data found injustice.

Christ's message conveys that the Church is that justice will be done with the poor, do not attempt to silence their just demands in this world through the comfort of eternal life, as we have wanted occur many times a godless ideologies. With today's parable, we understand a little better those other words of the Lord: "how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven!". When he does not share or cares to do everything in your hand is in the care of one's neighbor, the sentence is weighed on him clearly foretold in the figure of the rich to the door of which Lazarus was starving. Do not even know the name of this rich man who feasted splendidly poor man! Why so much pleasure, luxury and ostentation, if in the end I waited an eternity of pain? Rich man (in this world), poor man (in eternity).

However, we must go deeper into the Gospel. We have arrived - not forgetting that God desires justice in this world - to the more transcendent and spiritual. Lazarus is identified with the poor in spirit, according to the first beatitude, possess the kingdom of heaven. Must read the whole Gospel to discover that more than material poverty, the heart can be open to God, trusting Him's life and thus leading to poverty of spirit, a unique way to win eternal life. And if poverty is to house the spirit, the wealth that leads to destruction of the carnal life springs.

"Conquer the eternal life to which you were called!" , now St. Paul cries with force and urging all the practice of "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience , delicacy. " Here poor in spirit. The poor man who is rich toward God God and receive strength for the "fight of faith" and conquest of eternal life. "Fight of Faith": is a fight, but sometimes we forget. And we forget when we forget God and we slide into the pursuit of happiness in the material and the carnal.

The history of salvation is also a story of sin and again and will happen in our lives constantly. We read today from the mouth of Amos, the first reading: "ended the orgy of wanton" . It refers to the Israelites, forgetting God and having been given all sorts of vices, were exiled and enslaved of foreign peoples, but, in light of the Gospel and the prospect of eternal life, we can easily see on this ruling, the finding that the licentious life, away from the law of God and all moral rule has a set limit , time passes and we must account for all our actions. Met

arrival time and eternity, the rich heartless of the parabola Abraham pleads with relief for him and pity for the brothers who still have in this world. Putting in connection wealth of carnal life of poverty characteristic of life in the Spirit, St. Jerome is an interesting and original interpretation, which wanted to see in these five brothers, the five senses we have in this world, and argues the rich condemned: "These five brothers who you are: sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. Once you served to these people, considering them as such. While these brothers loved you could not love your brother, Lazarus. No wonder you loved your brother Lazarus, and you loved to these others. And those brothers did not feel affected by poverty. "