In his 1944 play “No Exit,” the French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre writes about three people condemned to hell, which in the play, is a waiting room. During the play, the three characters torture each other with their selfish words and actions. One of the characters goes on to declare: “Hell is other people!”
But my friends, in tonight’s parable from the Gospel of Luke, we hear from the heart of Jesus that hell is not other people. Rather, hell is being isolated from other people!
In many ways, we are the ones who create large chasms between us and other people. Through our creature comforts, our selfishness, and greed, we barricade ourselves from reaching out to other people.
During his life, the rich man de-humanized Lazarus. He never once offered food, shelter, or medical aid. He never once even acknowledged Lazarus, even though the poor man was lying at the rich man’s doorstep. As we hear in the parable, it is only in the afterlife when the rich man wants something does he acknowledge Lazarus's identity. The rich man requests that Lazarus dip his finger in water and quench his thirst.
It is at moment that the rich man condemns himself. He knew who Lazarus was during his life, but never bothered to reach out to him, never spoke his name. Yet now, only when the rich man wants something, does he speak the name of the poor man. The rich man is thus condemned through his own individualism and selfishness.
God doesn’t send us to hell. No. We condemn ourselves to this eternal isolation whenever we refuse to recognize the dignity of another human being and whenever we isolate ourselves from loving God in our neighbor – especially the needy, the poor, and the marginalized.
In his letter to mark the beginning of Lent, Pope Francis reflects on this particular passage about Lazarus and the rich man. In his reflection, Pope Francis says that this parable reminds us that every person is a gift and that every person is a treasure given to us from God. Every single life has been created in and through God’s creative act of love. Every life therefore, is precious, sacred, and has a purpose. Every person has a story and a name. Every person reveals to us something unique about God's love and goodness.
The rich man in the parable does not recognize the sacredness that is present in others, that was
The Word of God has incredible power to transform our hardened hearts, to melt away our self-imposed isolation, and to lead us in conversion from sin to new life in God.
During this Fourth Week of Lent, as we come closer to Easter, it is worth considering how well we are listening to the Word of God. Tonight is a good night to meditate on God’s Word of salvation. Tonight, as we sit before the sacramentalized and enfleshed Word of God in the Blessed Sacrament, we are challenged to imitate our Eucharistic Lord. We are called to be like Jesus:
-to be like Jesus who did not disdain to become like one of us;
-to be like Jesus who experienced our sufferings and humiliations;
-to be like Jesus who experienced a dehumanizing death;
-to be like Jesus who chooses to identify with the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized.
The same Eucharistic Lord whom we honor and adore is the same Word of God who is enfleshed in Lazarus and the many poor and abandoned members of our community and society. Hearing the Word of God means that we are attentive to the cries of our brothers and sisters who sit at our doorsteps – the cries of those who hunger for justice, for peace, for safety, and for mercy.
Truly hearing the Word of God means learning the names, the faces, the stories, and the challenges of the poor and homeless here in East Stroudsburg. Truly hearing the Word of God means that we name the struggles of our own lives, and those of our families, co-workers, and of our Church so that we can come together in solidarity to address whatever suffering our brothers and sisters might be facing. To truly hear the Word of God challenges us to move beyond our impulses to be greedy consumers who are overly materialistic. The Word of God challenges us to be generous with our time, our possessions, our love.
-to be like Jesus who experienced a dehumanizing death;
-to be like Jesus who chooses to identify with the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized.
The same Eucharistic Lord whom we honor and adore is the same Word of God who is enfleshed in Lazarus and the many poor and abandoned members of our community and society. Hearing the Word of God means that we are attentive to the cries of our brothers and sisters who sit at our doorsteps – the cries of those who hunger for justice, for peace, for safety, and for mercy.
Truly hearing the Word of God means learning the names, the faces, the stories, and the challenges of the poor and homeless here in East Stroudsburg. Truly hearing the Word of God means that we name the struggles of our own lives, and those of our families, co-workers, and of our Church so that we can come together in solidarity to address whatever suffering our brothers and sisters might be facing. To truly hear the Word of God challenges us to move beyond our impulses to be greedy consumers who are overly materialistic. The Word of God challenges us to be generous with our time, our possessions, our love.
The Word of God challenges us to be like Jesus.
If we are attentive to the Word of God and if we listen to and embody this Word, then the Lord will move us to a deeper love and solidarity with all of humanity. When this happens, we will finally be able to see, cry out, and embrace Lazarus at our doorstep.
We must allow Jesus the Word of God to save us from that chasm of separation that we often create for ourselves... from the hell of isolation.
No comments:
Post a Comment