Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus teaches that an exclusive focus on one’s own self-interests leads to indifference, omission, and lack of willingness to change one’s ways for the better.

Gospel according to Luke 16:19-31

Jesus told this parable to those among the Pharisees who loved money: ‘There was rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. “The poor man died and was carried by the Angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his fingers in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ “The man who had been rich said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Lazarus and the Rich Man - Jacopo Bassano, 16th Century - Wikimedia Commons

Reflections

Today’s Gospel provides a vivid depiction of what happens to those people who withdraw into themselves and live as if in a bubble. They become so self-absorbed that they do not pay attention to those who cry out to them for help. They fail to exercise their spiritual muscles and grow beyond their self-imposed confines.

The rich man in this parable has every imaginable earthly pleasure at his disposal. He lives in a comfortable and lavish home, dresses in expensive, “purple and fine linen” clothes, he dines “sumptuously every day” (Luke 16:19). He enjoys his surroundings and is occupied with enjoying every moment to the fullest. This image is the picture-perfect description of the Dionysian, hedonistic lifestyle that is sensuous, frenzied, disordered, irrational, and orgiastic. (1) It represents a person governed by their instinctual needs and drives.

At the gate, at the threshold of this man’s house, lives a poor man, by the name of Lazarus, “…covered with sores,” who longs to satisfy his hunger with what falls from the table of the rich man, be it only a few meager crumbs (Luke 16:20). Without proper medical attention, his wounds are licked by dogs (Luke 16:21). Lazarus, who incidentally bears the same name as one of Jesus’s best friends, Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, whom Jesus raised from the dead, represents the suffering man who cries out to the rich man for mercy. It represents a call that potentially penetrates the conscience of the rich man, but which he chooses to shut out, and ignore. No pity is shown to Lazarus’ plight by the rich man who envelopes himself in pleasures and is unmoved by what takes place outside his house. The voice of conscience is silenced by this man.

In a reversal of fate, Lazarus dies, and is carried by the Angels to be with Abraham (Luke 16:22). “To be with Abraham,” means to be in the presence of God, where Abraham, our Father in Faith stands, and sharing the same faith as him. (2,3) The self-absorbed rich man also dies, but he arrives to a place of torment, “Hades,” which is the Greek word for the underworld, a place of suffering for the wicked. Hades in Jesus’ parable is not identical with either the Catholic notion of “Purgatory,” which is temporary state of purification for those “…not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions,” or with “Hell,” which is the place of eternal punishment and a “state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God”. (4,5)

In Jesus’ time, “Hades” (which is a Greek word, or “Sheol” in Aramaic) was thought of as a place of purification for the just, a place of torment for the wicked, and the souls in purgatory, all together. (6) According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, when Christ descended into Hades, the underworld, or the world of the dead, he opened this waiting state for all those who were there, to be a pathway to heaven. (7) After the Resurrection of Christ, part of Hades (Sheol), remained Hell (Gehenna) that was a place of punishment “…because all righteous souls after Easter go to purgatory or heaven.” (7)  There is an insurmountable divide between heaven and hell, not a physical distance, but a spiritual “chasm” created by the “free will’s rejection of God, eternally manifested after the final judgement.” (8,9) Thus, when Christ raised Lazarus to from the dead, he restored him to life until his physical death, after which he went to heaven, awaiting the last judgement, like those who died and were found upright in the eyes of the Lord. Lazarus the beggar in this parable, also went to Heaven (Luke 16:22).

The rich man, seeing Lazarus in heaven, remained self absorbed. He did not beg to be allowed to go to Heaven but pleaded with Abraham to let Lazarus come down to Hades from Heaven to ease his suffering, since he was “in agony in the flames” there (Luke 16:24). After this request was denied, the rich man pleaded to send Lazarus to his five bothers, representing the rest of his kinfolk, the rest of humanity, and those resistant to the Word of God. According to the Bible, Judah had five blood brothers: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Zebulun (Gen. 35:23). The Rich man’s “bothers” are other “pharisees.” (10)  Abraham replied to him that studying the Scriptures and religious teachings should be enough to reach Heaven (Luke 16:29-31). Here we find an allusion to the resurrection of Christ, saying that those who are not willing to step outside themselves, study the Scriptures, and live their faith intentionally, will not have a change of heart even if they witness a miracle, such as person returning from the dead.

Jesus teaches that an exclusive focus on one’s own self-interests and comfort, such as “the love of money,” leads to indifference, omission, and lack of willingness to change one’s ways for the better. Self-transcendence, the act of rising above one's self interests is required for charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence.

Saint Mother Theresa observed that “You can find Calcutta all over the world. You only need two eyes to see.  if you have the eyes to see it. Everywhere in the world there are people that are not loved, people that are not wanted nor desired, people that no one will help, people that are pushed away or forgotten. And this is the greatest poverty.” (11) The actions of the rich man go beyond loathing Lazarus. During his life, he ignores him, and is indifferent toward him. Only after death, does he recognize that he used to know Lazarus, and when he does, he wants to take advantage of this acquaintance for his own gain.

What can we do to avoid being like the rich man? The corporal acts of mercy, such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, and burying the dead, and the spiritual works of mercy, such as admonishing the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, praying for the living and the dead, forgiving injuries and bearing wrongs patiently are some concrete ways in which we can notice Lazarus, love him, and serve him. (12,13)

Occupying ourselves about the other helps us to gain new life and brings us home to the blessing of the Father. We do this best when we are “…informed by the Word of God in the Scriptures, sustained by prayer, encouraged by each other, and nourished by the Eucharist.” (14)

References

  1. APA Dictionary of Psychology (2025). Dionysian. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from: https://dictionary.apa.org/dionysian. Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  2. Landry, R. J. (2024). Faith like Abraham in the One Far Greater Than Abraham, Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 21, 2024. Catholic Preaching. Retrieved from: https://catholicpreaching.com/wp/faith-like-abraham-in-the-one-far-greater-than-abraham. Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  3. Pope Francis (2013) Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei. The Holy See. Dicastery for Communication. Retrieved from :  https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei.html. Accessed; September 24, 2025.
  4. Catholic Encyclopedia (2025). Purgatory. Catholic Doctrine. New Advent. Retrieved from: [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm#:~:text=Purgatory%20(Lat.%2C%20%22purgare,satisfaction%20due%20to%20their%20transgressions](https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm#:~:text=Purgatory%20(Lat.%2C%20%22purgare,satisfaction%20due%20to%20their%20transgressions). Accessed; September 24, 2025.
  5. The Holy See (2025). Hell. Catechism. Retrieved from: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_three/article_12/iv_hell.html. Accessed; September 24, 2025.
  6. Grondin, C. (2025). Did Sheol Become Gehenna After the Resurrection? Retrieved from: https://www.catholic.com/qa/did-sheol-become-gehenna-after-the-resurrection. Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  7. The Holy See (2025). Paragraph 1. Christ Descended into Hell. Retrieved from: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_two/article_5/paragraph_1_christ_descended_into_hell.html. Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  8. Deacon Pedro (2020). Deacon Structuring the Four Last Things. SL Media. Retrieved from: https://slmedia.org/blog/deacon-structing-the-four-last-things Accessed: September 24, 2025. 
  9. Catholic Catechism (2025). Paragraphes 1033-1035. Retrieved from:  https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/1033-1035 Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  10. Marshall, T. (2025). The Rich Man and Lazarus—The Rich Man in Caiphas the High Priest. Retrieved from: https://taylormarshall.com/2008/08/rich-man-and-lazarus-rich-man-is.html. Accessed; September 24, 2025.
  11. Goodreads (2025). Mother Theresa Quotes. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/658204-you-can-find-calcutta-anywhere-in-the-world-you-only. Accessed: September 24, 2025.
  12. USCCB (2025). The Corporal Works of Mercy. Retrieved from: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-corporal-works-of-mercy. Accessed: September 25, 2025.
  13. USCCB (2025). The Spiritual Works of Mercy. Retrieved from: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-spiritual-works-of-mercy. Accessed: September 25, 2025.
  14. Catholic Faith and Reason (2016). The Cocoon: A Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31. Retrieved from: https://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/our-blog/the-cocoon-a-commentary-on-the-gospel-of-luke-16-19-31. Accessed: September 25, 2025.