THE WORD IN LENT: Thursday, 2nd week in Lent
March 04, 2021: Jeremiah 17: 5-10; Luke 16: 19-31
Reflecting on the passage in the Gospel today, we may be led to wonder at times, what mistake did that rich man do? And in what way he is responsible for Lazarus' misery? In no way is he responsible for the misery of the miserable poor man, Lazarus! But the rich man is responsible for his attitude towards Lazarus. That he did not care even to see the miseries of the person right at the foot of his table, looking for the crumbs - oh, what a gross insensitivity! Sheer blindness! And the worst of all, that blindness comes from the blessings he had, the abundance that he had for himself. The Blessings blinded him.
Look at the situation everywhere, especially in places that are badly stricken
by the recent experience of pandemic!... the world at large seems to be
oblivious of the doubled suffering of the poor amidst this! There are stray
voices that call for a global attention, but nothing seems too serious! The
affluent are busy making more money. The medical industry, the health care
institutions, the pharma industry, they are keen on making the optimum use of
the crisis. The powerful are looking out for opportunities to further demonstrate
their power over the rest. The crooked are making use of every chance to reach
their hidden agenda at all cost.
Blessings should make us more grateful
and more sensitive; unfortunately, it can also blind us to those in need around
us - within the family, in the neighbourhood, in our workplaces, in our known
circles or outside the immediate circle! We can grow so comfortable and cosy
about our life that we may forget to look out – out just beside our doorsteps,
out right next to us, out there in the broad day light – to find , people
suffering, struggling and stifling themselves to death. Should not our
blessings make us more aware of those in need?
If at all we want to understand what is true Christian love, let us grow ever sensitivity to the
suffering!
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