The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in today’s Gospel reading teaches us to take our life on earth very seriously for our eternity depends upon how we live our life on earth.
The rich man was well of in life, dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted every day: presumably his life was about himself and his comfort and fine living. The poor man Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at the rich man’s gate, longing to be fed the scraps from the rich man’s table: presumably he endured his misfortune and pains with great patience and perseverance.
At his death, the rich man was buried in the torments and fires of hell. Lazarus was carried into the joyous bosom of Father Abraham.
Once in heaven or hell, one is in eternal happiness or in eternal torment and pain: “Between your place [in hell] and ours [in heaven] a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us.”
We are not uninformed about heaven and hell, about eternal happiness with God and eternal damnation with the bad angels: Moses and the prophets, the Lord Jesus and the Church have spoken about the loving and just God.
Let us listen and learn and with God’s grace and mercy, hope and pray and live that we be rewarded with eternal rest with Lazarus and Father Abraham.
No comments:
Post a Comment