19th Sunday after Pentecost

 (Luke 16:19-31)

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we heard the story of the rich man and Lazarus. What a heart-rending story this is… both in terms of the sad state of Lazarus, who sat in misery at the gates of the rich man’s house, only hoping for some small scrap of compassion which was never given by the selfish rich man. And our heart is touched also to realize the sorry state of the rich man after he had died and found himself in torment where there was a great chasm separating him from Lazarus, who rested now in the bosom of Abraham.

The rich man begged that Lazarus might go to his earthly relatives to forewarn them of the realities of the spiritual life and the life beyond the grave. But Abraham rebuked him saying that they have Moses and the prophets, yet they do not heed the word of God. The rich man emphasizes that if someone were to miraculously return from the dead, that then the worldly-minded would awaken and hear God’s word. Abraham replies that even if one were to rise from the dead, they would not be persuaded to change their ways.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!... This Gospel message speaks directly to our hearts! We live in the wake of One Who has indeed risen from the dead. Christ has risen from the dead and yet we must ask ourselves: do we heed the word of God and the good news of the Gospel? Do we understand how brief is our earthly life and how decisive that earthly life is upon the eternal fate of our soul?

Let us ask ourselves with honesty, how often do we resemble the rich man in today’s Gospel - allowing ourselves to be seduced into a kind of blindness to the deeper and eternal realities of our existence. We become so easily preoccupied with the things of this world and react to the circumstances of our earthly life as if this is all there is…

Our Lord asks us: ‘What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ Today’s Gospel parable is a vivid illustration of the tragic consequences of a man who allows the cheap treasures of this world to eclipse the eternal treasures of God.

Let us take the message of today’s Holy Gospel to heart… Let us make sure we do not find ourselves in the position of the rich man – who so preoccupied himself with his worldly interests that he was blind to the cries of others and to the voice of his conscience. Let us live our lives as people who have witnessed the One Who rose from the dead and who take His message seriously.

We must strive to live our life in the context of eternity, in the knowledge and awareness of the risen Christ. Remembrance of God at all times is one of the surest ways to refrain from sin and to not deaden ourselves to the needs of others.

Cultivating an active awareness of the presence of God is essential if we are to live our lives with our spiritual eyes open.

How will we treat each other if we’re aware that we are in the presence of God? How will we treat our spouse, our children, our co-workers, our fellow parishioners? How will we behave in all aspects of our life if we’re aware that we are truly, at each moment of our lives, living in the presence of God?

Such an awareness of the immediacy of the presence of God serves both as a helpful hindrance when it comes to temptations as well as a source of great comfort for us. Knowing that God is present, we will hopefully think twice about so easily falling into sin. And knowing God is present, should warm our hearts, knowing that we are not alone and drawing us deeper into our love for God, Who so deeply loves us.

May God grant us the wisdom and blessing of cultivating this conscious sense of His presence at all times and may this awareness deliver us from temptation and draw us closer in compassion and love for God and for one another.