The Rich Man And Lazarus

The Rich Man And Lazarus (Luke 16:19)

         Jesus had just given a teaching on the right use of money.  The Pharisees, seething from their exposed hypocrisy, mocked him.  Unable to refute truth, they ridiculed him instead.  Jesus responded with a parable.  St. Luke titled it The Rich Man and Lazarus, but it could just as well have been called The Man Who Would Not Listen to the Voice of God.

          The rich man, who lived a self-centered life, did not earn a name in this story.  In contrast, the poor man -a hungry beggar covered with sores- was knighted “Lazarus”, which means “God is my help”.  His hope had to be in God, for the rich man did not lift a finger to raise him up.  Lazarus’ only solace was the dogs that licked his wounds.  Though he trusted in the God of heaven, he found only misery on earth.  While the rich man, with less love than the dogs, and with no trust in God, was steeped in comfort.

         Indeed, this parable seems to hide the merciful hand of God, while revealing the Sovereignty of his Justice to an unfair world.  It is a story about Eternal Recompense, about the impassable chasm between two destinies waiting to be chosen.

Lazarus’ life was the story of Job minus the happy ending.  Yet, he never stopped hoping in God.  The rich man was flooded with God’s blessings to the end, yet he never turned to their Source.  Lazarus, who clung in faith to his God, found himself in the Bosom of Abraham, the father of his faith –he was found pleasing to God.  The rich man, who sought only to please himself; found himself in the unending torment of eternal poverty -divorced from the Love of God he had spurned.

         Jesus ends his parable with the rich man becoming the beggar: pleading for Lazarus to be sent to warn his five brothers, that they might repent of their selfish ways and avoid the torment of hell.   “Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead".

Moses and the prophets are the Voice of God, beckoning from millennia.  If the pursuit of self, so blinds us to God’s Voice, then neither would the miracle of one rising from the dead pierce our darkness.  Our sin, freely chosen, can do what Satan cannot: deny the power of the Cross and Resurrection.

         Not only was the Voice of God’s Word calling the rich man to a life of Love, but God was shouting to him -in the Poverty of Lazarus camped at his door.  The hardened heart can only be unlocked from within.  And the proud, find the key of Repentance, too reviling to pick up.  Pride will choose torment before submission to God.  It will cover its ears, lest it hear the Truth and change.

         This parable, this fiction of Christ, is both truth as well, foretelling a Darkness Yet Born: when the same Pharisees, would later, plot Jesus’ death after witnessing him raise a man from the dead.  The Lazarus of his parable, was the namesake of his beloved friend -the Lazarus he was to call forth from the tomb. This Lazarus fulfilled the wish of the rich man pleading for a resurrection miracle to prove God’s Word to be true.  And true to the Word of Jesus, it did not open their eyes. What pain our Savior must have endured; as he watched the Pharisees blindly cement their own tomb with bitterness, a torment of their own making.

         My Lord Jesus, I pray you will rip from my heart all selfishness and pride.  Its power is so fearsome that I hide it from my sight.  Like a child refusing to look under the bed at night, I am afraid to shine light on my darkness within.  Only you God are my help.

         Lord, do not let me pass by the Lazarus’s you place at my door.  Let me not pretend to not see or hear them.  Let me not turn away my eyes, nor close my heart.  Let me not fail the test.  Lay bare my heart.  Give me the courage to embrace your forsaken -even Lord, if I must let loose of my comfort, if I need to be made humble.

         Holy Spirit, by your grace, make it so.  Bring me into the Bosom of my Father.  Make me into the likeness of his Son.  Give me a listening heart that is drawn to your Poor.  Give me eyes to recognize your Beauty in their face.  Give me ears to hear your Call to Love.

         Father, oh that I might be known in Eternity by a new name: “The Lowly One who Listened to Voice of God”.

Lost Sheep

Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1)

    “The Tax Collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes were complaining…”  The Pharisees and scribes thought they deserved the attention of Jesus, not the sinners whom they detested.  So Jesus tells them the story of the Lost Sheep.  They thought the parable was about the Tax Collectors and sinners, but in fact, they were the ones who were lost.

    The Tax Collectors and sinners were not a holy lot, but neither were they lost, for they were drawing near to Jesus to listen to him.  They encountered the love of Jesus and were on the way to New Life.  Conversely, the Pharisees and Tax Collectors were driven away, deprived of God’s tender care.  Driven by fear of the Punishing Judge, they were exiled from love.  In detesting sinners, they embraced Sin.  Hopelessly lost, they were unable to recognize their self-righteousness.

    Blinded by condemnation, they were indignant that Jesus would welcome the company of sinners.  Their hardened hearts hid them from the Mercy of their God.  For this reason, Jesus paints for them the parable of the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep.  How else could his Mercy penetrate their hearts?  They must first come to believe that their Punishing Judge is in truth, a Kind and Merciful God.

    So it is, that the Good Shepherd is compelled to search for his wayward sheep, and when he finds it, he does not put a rope around its neck and drag it back to the fold.  Rather, he picks it up and carries it around his neck.  Now, sheep are not these cute and cuddly creatures we see on TV.  They are dumb.  They stink.  And they are nasty dirty, as manure and dirt are forever matted into their wool.  Yet, Jesus presents the Good Shepherd as oblivious to the filth, as he joyfully returns, carrying the sheep on his shoulders.

    St. Luke leaves us hanging as to how the Pharisees and scribes responded to Jesus’ parable.  Did a light go on?  Did they receive God’s Mercy?  Or was it too late?  Were they so hardened, that defending their pride took precedence over defending their souls?

    All the characters in this Gospel passage were in need of redemption.  But it was those, most successful in their religious appearance, that were in the darkest and most dangerous plight.  The Tax Collectors and sinners knew their lives were unholy.  They merely needed to repent and be saved.  The Pharisees and scribes either knew they were unrighteous and pretended to be holy, or they were deceived by their religiosity, and actually believed it to be so. In the end, they found themselves spurning the Mercy of God.

    Lord, where do I play in this parable?  I do relate to the Pharisee who prayed, “I thank you God that I am not like this sinner.”  I still feel disdain toward those who fail to meet my criteria for decency.  Your Blood has covered me in righteousness, yet I cling to a self-righteousness that is unbecoming of a child in your fold.  Selfishness and Pride are still familiar Voices.  The wool you have washed white in your blood is so easily soiled.  In my stupidity, I wander from your protective presence.  I tell myself half-truths so I can do things you would have me not do.  And I am sad to admit Lord,  there are parts of my heart, from which mercy does not yet flow, where doors are yet tight closed to your Light.

    Father, I am in desperate need of your Good Shepherd.  Fill me anew today with the in pouring of your Holy Spirit promised.  Holy Spirit, do with me what I cannot do.  Purify my mind, heart and soul.  Open my heart to the Truth of your way.  Jesus, may your Death reign in me, that I may live for you, that I may never wander from your Love.

It's Not Fair!

It’s Not Fair!

“Listen then to me, like intelligent men.  So far is God removed from wickedness, and Shaddai from injustice, ...God never does wrong, do not doubt that! ...Were he to recall his breath, ...things of flesh would perish all together, and man would return to dusty." (Job 34:10-14)

 

We all are guilty of crying, "It's not fair!" Whether in losing a frivolous game of dice, or in the painful loss of an untimely death.  What silly creatures we are prone to be.  Like a two year old child, we expect the Grand Unfolding of the cosmos to coincide with our wishes and expectations.  

When this Cosmic Unfolding fails to go our way, our first reaction is to feel victimized.  And, if we are victimized, then we must, believe in a Victimizer.  If this happens in a simple game of chance, we blame our “misfortune” on the magical Lady Luck, who withdrew her graces from that determining role of the dice.  Obviously, this is illogical.  It is as irrational as wishing for our past to be changed, or that Lady Luck would influence that next roll of dice.  We are not crazy, it’s just that our emotions never grow up.  This childhood remnant remains as our default mode.  While forever humbling, it is easily enough checked with the briefest subjection to logic.

This irrationality, however, takes a darker and more dangerous turn as our sense of victimization takes on increasingly profound proportions. When dealing with the injustice and hardship of life, our two year old within, responds with the need to assign blame.   

When this injustice is frivolous, as in that game of dice, we can dismiss it with a silly accusation against that fanciful Lady Luck.  But if, say, a precious infant dies of cancer, our default mode is to find some one or thing to blame.  The Unbeliever might say it is the cruel randomness of Fate that is responsible.  But the Christian is left pointing his finger at God.  Both the Old and New Testament grapple with this dilemma.

Job was renowned for his righteousness, yet he found himself stripped of wealth, prestige, family, friends and health, till he begged for death.  Only in being stripped naked before God, did he come to know his life was not his own, that his very existence depended on the Breath of God, that the source and meaning of his life could only be found in the will of his all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-just God.

The Gospels give us John the Baptist to ponder.  He was the Cousin of God, described by Jesus himself as the greatest of all born of women.  He gave up everything for God, spent every breath, every ounce of energy in service to his God.  And to what end?  His home was the desert.  His food was locust, his clothing, camel hair.  His short flash of fame –faded into obscurity.  He ended up alone, without family, wife, children or friends -imprisoned in a dark cell, and beheaded by a degenerate whim.  

After all he sacrificed, after a life of exemplary holiness, after giving his all, he finds himself alone, imprisoned in a cell.  Who could more justly claim victimhood?  Who had more just cause to cry out in protest, “It is not fair!”?  How is it he was not driven to despair, to self pity, to feeling as victim of an unjust and uncaring God?  How did he remain faithful to the end, confident in his purpose, to being a voice in the wilderness?  What powerful secret shielded his soul from such Reasonable Doubt?

John The Baptist did not expect the grand Cosmic Unfolding to be centered around his needs for affirmation, comfort, fulfillment, or even his need for meaning in chaos -for he did not see his life as his own.  He possessed a Knowing, a Faith, that his life served a Purpose far beyond the world of Self.  The Source of his Purpose, his Meaning, was the Will of God, the Great Unfolder of the Unfolding, in the Realm where self-denial, suffering, and sacrifice are all trumped by Truth.  He trusted, that in surrendering his humble finite space on the Timeline of God, however it unfolded, it was of unfathomable worth -because his Source and Destiny was God. 

          Lord, I am so vain.  I am prone to want my will to be done.  I presume to know so much that I am a fool.  I am quick to conclude and slow to listen.  Save me Lord.  I thought I could walk on water and am wont to drown.  I have all the right words, but lack the love.  I need the lessons of Job, but lack his fortitude.  John gave witness to the Light, I am a witness in need of the Light.  Help me Lord to see the Way you have marked out for me, to Trust in you, that I may walk it Faithfully, that it may Glorify you.  Come Holy Spirit.  Come.

Disney Bruenette

The Disney Brunette

I was standing in line with my two brother-in-laws, waiting to get on Cinderella's Golden Carrousel.  This was way back. I was twenty, Disney World just opened, and tickets were required for each ride.  Standing alone, two places in front of us, was an astonishingly beautiful woman.  Her long, straight, jet-black hair hung perfectly down her neck.  Her blue eyes seemed battery powered.  Every feature about her was perfect.  She was a goddess to behold.

Out of the blue, I blurted out, “I’ll bet you I can get her to go on the ride with me.”  It was a moment of madness I cannot explain.  I took a big breath, smiled at my brother-in-laws, and stepped forward to proposition a goddess.  A few moments later, I returned, asking to borrow some tickets. Seeing, that I was floating on a cloud, they said, “Take them all!”  So began my dream adventure with the beautiful goddess of Disney World.

          After the carrousel, we headed off to Pirates Of The Caribbean.  On the way as we began to talk, the Dream began to unwrap and a Nightmare began to unfold.  I was literally stricken by her emptiness.  She was so full of herself, that my presence was virtually unacknowledged.  Her extraordinary beauty became eclipsed by a repulsive darkness.  I desperately wanted to get away from her.  The intensity of my sudden revulsion was bewildering.  I did not know how to tell her politely that this was a big mistake -that I did not want to be with her anymore.   

We arrived at the attraction and climbed into something like a little row boat, which took us past the various pirate scenes.  She was oblivious to my panic, but all the while, my mind was racing over how to gracefully exit.  The boat had stopped for the next scene.  It was pitch dark and loud with noise.  That is when I noticed the little red Exit sign.  It was my opportunity to bolt.  When the boat moved back into the light, I was gone.  I’m sure she was surprised, but I doubt she ever missed me.

This memory came to mind this morning, as I was reflecting on the enigmatic words of Jesus, where the First shall be Last and the Last shall be First, where the Least shall be the Greatest in the Kingdom Of God.  I could see how these words have application here on earth, but I was struggling to grasp how they also pointed to different levels in heaven.  This was a conundrum, since in heaven, all are in unity, and all are complete.  But, just because all will be perfectly happy, does not mean all will have the same capacity for happiness -for those who loved more, there will be more happiness.

It was intentional, that Jesus connects “least” and “last” with our heavenly reward.  Least and last define humility, which is the antithesis of pride, the primary sin.  Humility must then be the foundational virtue, as it displaces both pride and selfishness.  Making others more important than ourselves is to make ourselves the least, or the last.  It is the beginning of moving up in the Kingdom of God.

Eternal happiness then has a correspondence to humility -to the degree we have learned to empty ourselves of selfishness.  The greater our emptiness, the greater is our capacity to be filled with the Love of God.  God’s love for us is infinite, eternal and unconditional.  We can do nothing to increase or diminish it.  However, we can increase our capacity to experience it, by cultivating humility -which is a hard and narrow road, as anyone familiar with farming knows.  For, cultivation is a demanding commitment, involving hard work, unending perseverance, sacrifice, tenderness -and stubborn Faith that the rain will come.

I cannot wish my selfishness away.  It is structural -a part of my flesh.  Just as air expands to fill the volume allotted it, so too my selfishness expands to fill the space allotted it, relentlessly seeking new pathways to occupy my heart.  I cannot command it gone, but I can choose humble acts of love to displace it, to drive it back, to subjugate it, to redefine it to increasingly confined boundaries, while simultaneously expanding the frontier to love.

Our heart and spirit is a mysterious realm, not prone to casually revealing their secrets.  Their laws of operation are not self evident.  They must be sought, discovered.  Scripture calls this Wisdom, and says it begins with our friend, Humility.  To govern this land of heart and spirit is in the jurisdiction of our mind, our self-control, our free will.  If we forfeit our authority to rule, other forces will take over, either of our flesh -our base nature- or forces of evil.  

Beyond our Self, there are many forces that influence this unseen land.  It is a mysterious interaction involving the grace of God; His faithful angels, including our guardian angel; His unfaithful angels; the intercession of the saints -in the here and now, and in the beyond; and what Scripture calls the “world”, which is a product of humanity outside of God’s will.  These forces are either good (according to God’s will) or evil (against God’s will).  The good, beckons us away from selfishness and toward freedom.  Evil beckons us towards selfishness and into bondage.

And so it was, that in reflecting on evil’s design to ensnare us into a life centered on Self, that the memory of the Disney Brunette was triggered.  Until today, I was at loss to explain the intense revulsion I had experienced in her presence.  Now, I believe it was evil that I had sensed.  She was empty -a Self so expanded, as to leave no space for God or Love, condemned to Loneliness, a glimpse of Hell, the destiny of all who follow the god of Self.

Beauty will always be in the eye to the beholder.  But to a Christian man or women, the most resplendent of sights, will always be a humble heart, empty of self and full of love.  

          Lord, empty me as I seek you now.  Fill me, with Your Light and Love, that I may reflect the Beauty of Your Face.  Help me to love others, as I have been Loved by you.