This parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows our need to have concern for the well being of our neighbor. The lifestyle that the rich man chose to live prevented him from seeing Lazarus as his neighbor and thus left him closed to the voice of God.
The Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes, Joy and Hope, states concerning this reality: “Everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self, taking into account first of all His life and the means necessary to living it with dignity, so as not to imitate the rich man who had no concern for the poor man Lazarus.”
“In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord, “As long as you did it for one of these the least of my brethren, you did it for me.”
“Furthermore, whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator.”
These words of Gaudium et Spes should make us reflect upon our own life and what we will allow to exist within our society. There are so many injustices which are allowed to exist in our world which go against the value and dignity of the human person who has been created in the image and the likeness of God the Father. This is an important message for us to reflect upon as we prepare for the upcoming election. A vote cannot be cast for an allegiance to a political party, but rather must be cast in reflection to the human person and the dignity that is owed unto them.
Within our Gospel both the rich man and Lazarus end up dying. The rich man who was caught up in his wealth at the expense of others did not receive the Heavenly reward. On the other hand, Lazarus, who was down trodden and placed at a distance from society received his Heavenly reward. From his poverty he truly inherited true riches which will never pass away.
