Theme: Comfort Without Compassion, Religion Without Responsibility
Teclus Ugwueze (Rev Fr)
Dear brothers and sisters in
Christ, today, the Word of God gives us one of the most haunting parables in
all the Gospels, the story of the rich man and Lazarus. It is not a story
simply about wealth and poverty, but about something far more profound and far
more uncomfortable: What happens when we live comfortable lives, untouched by
the suffering of others, and imagine that our religion excuses our
responsibility?
1. The Tragedy of Comfortable
Indifference, Amos 6:1,4-7
The prophet Amos opens the liturgy
with a thunderous rebuke. He paints a vivid picture of the elite in Israel: “Lying
on ivory beds, stretched out on their couches… drinking wine by the bowlful,
and anointing themselves with fine oils…”
And yet, he says, “They are not
made ill by the ruin of Joseph!”
In other words, while they indulge
themselves, they are numb to the collapse of their nation, blind to the wounds
of their brothers.
Sound familiar?
We too live in a culture of numbing
comfort—climate-controlled homes, instant entertainment, food at our
fingertips. But that same culture encourages us to look away from the suffering
just outside our gates:
the homeless man we walk past,
the addict trapped in silence,
the elderly neighbor forgotten,
the child in crisis across the
globe or across the street.
And the prophet says: “Woe to
the complacent…”
2. The Great Reversal, Luke 16:19-31
In Jesus’ parable, the contrast
between the rich man and Lazarus is jarring. The rich man has no name. His life
is defined by excess. Lazarus has a name. And nothing else. He lies at the rich
man’s gate, covered in sores, begging for scraps. And yet the rich man never
notices him, not once. He is not condemned for what he did, but for what he
failed to do. For his apathy. His blindness. His comfort without compassion.
And then the roles reverse.
Lazarus is carried to Abraham’s
side, a place of intimacy and peace. The rich man ends up in torment, not
because he was rich, but because he was disconnected from love. He begs for
relief. He begs for someone to warn his brothers. But Abraham says: “They
have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.”
In other words: The Word of God
has been clear all along. Justice. Mercy. Compassion. These are not optional
extras for the believer. They are the very heart of the Gospel.
3. The Call to Live Differently, 1
Timothy 6:11-16
In the second reading, St. Paul
gives a counter-example to the rich man’s passive, indulgent life. He urges
Timothy: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and
gentleness.” He calls him to fight the good fight, to take hold of eternal
life, to keep the commandment unstained. Paul is reminding us that Christianity
is not a passive label, it is a daily, intentional, and often uncomfortable
journey toward holiness. We are not called to coast through life in
spiritual cruise control. We are called to live lives fully awake to the
needs of others, and anchored in the hope of eternity.
So What About Us?
Brothers and sisters, here is the
question: Who is lying at your gate?
Who is the Lazarus you’ve grown
blind to?
Not just globally, but personally,
in your neighborhood, your workplace, your home, your parish?
Are we so comfortable that we no
longer notice?
So religious that we think
compassion is someone else’s job?
God does not condemn wealth. But He
demands responsibility. He asks us not to be self-satisfied, but self-giving. Not
to live comfortably while others suffer silently, but to open the gates of our
lives to those in need.
A Final Word: The Hope of the
Gospel
There is a subtle irony in Jesus’
parable. The rich man asks that someone be raised from the dead to warn his
brothers. But we already have that. Jesus has risen from the dead. Not just
to warn us, but to transform us. Not just to speak the truth, but to empower
mercy.
The Resurrection is not just our
hope, it is our commission:
To be Christ’s hands and feet.
To become the answer to the
Lazaruses who cry out in our world.
