Gospel Commentary Lk 16:19-31
A recent Pew study reported that 72 percent of Americans believe
in heaven, but only 58 percent believe in hell. Moreover, some people have
taken the spiritual narcotic whereby everyone goes to heaven after death, no
matter how life was lived; hence, funeral Masses or services have become
canonization ceremonies rather than a time to pray for the soul of the person
who now faces judgment. Jesus, however, definitely teaches about hell in our Gospel
passage this Sunday.
What causes a person to be damned to hell? One of my parish
second graders would answer, “A mortal sin.” Right. The “Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church” reads, “One commits a mortal sin when there
are simultaneously present grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate
consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and
if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the
ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance” (No. 395).
For example, if a person plans to kill someone, is of sound mind, murders the
person, and is not sorry afterward, that person condemns himself to hell. Of
course, the ultimate judgment is God’s.
So, why did the rich man in the parable end up in hell? What did
he do? First, let’s pause for a catechetical point: In the Apostles’ Creed we
say, “Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried, he descended into hell, and on
the third day he rose again from the dead.” Remember the gates of heaven had
been closed since the sin of Adam and Eve. So those who died went to the
netherworld, in Hebrew, “Sheol,” or translated into Greek and Latin, “Hades,”
or in English, hell. The faithful, like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, were in one
part of Sheol, a place of happiness where they awaited the Messiah. The
mortally sinful went to another part of Sheol, a place of torment. Once Jesus
made the sacrifice to forgive sins, he descended to Sheol and took the souls of
the faithful to heaven; the sinful remained, and Sheol became hell as we know
it.
Now back to the rich man. What was the mortal sin that damned him
to hell? The answer is not what he did but what he failed to do, not his
commissions but his omissions. He dressed in fine, purple linen, a cloth that
cost 400 times the average daily wage. He feasted sumptuously; most people
worked six days, rested on the Sabbath, and had meat to eat that one day only.
Nothing is wrong with eating well, dressing well or having a fine home.
However, if one is so blessed, one had better be mindful of those in need.
Also, the rich man was not unkind to Lazarus, in word or deed.
However, he simply does not even notice him. He is not only hard hearted, he is
heartless. He lacks charity — his love is focused on himself and his desires.
His commissions did not condemn him, his omissions did. And, an omission may
constitute mortal sin.
We must always be on guard. We are blessed living in this country
and this community — yet we could become very comfortable, even blind to the
needs of others. Or see the needs and say, “Someone should do something. Those
poor people.” The charity in our own souls could dry up.
Our hearts must be united to Jesus’ Sacred Heart; our hearts must
be inflamed with the same charity as his Sacred Heart. Therefore, a good
examination is to ask ourselves, “How well do I enact the corporal works of
mercy — to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked,
shelter the homeless, visit the sick and the imprisoned, bury the dead? And,
the spiritual works of mercy — instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful,
admonish the sinner, forgive injuries, bear wrongs patiently, comfort the
sorrowful, pray for the living and the dead? Did I see Lazarus today?”
In the parable, Lazarus is named; the rich man is not. Why?
Scripture says, “The righteous shall have their names written in the Book of
Life in Heaven.” Lazarus made it. The rich man did not. Will we?
Fr. Saunders, pastor of Our Lady
of Hope Church in Potomac Falls, is episcopal vicar for faith formation and
director of the Office of Catechetics.