{"id":5946,"date":"2025-09-27T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T16:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=5946"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:55:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:55:22","slug":"commentary-on-26th-sunday-of-the-year-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary-on-26th-sunday-of-the-year-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on 26th Sunday of the year C 28.09.2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEXT: <\/strong>LUKE 16: 19\u201331<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rich man and Lazarus<\/strong><\/p>\n

19 \u201cThere was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man\u2019s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Both die<\/strong><\/p>\n

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;<\/em><\/p>\n

Rich man begs Abraham<\/strong><\/p>\n

23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz\u2019arus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, \u2018Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz\u2019arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Abraham\u2019s first reply<\/strong><\/p>\n

25 But Abraham said, \u2018Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz\u2019arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Rich man\u2019s second request<\/strong><\/p>\n

27 And he said, \u2018Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father\u2019s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Abraham\u2019s second reply<\/strong><\/p>\n

29 But Abraham said, \u2018They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Rich man\u2019s third request<\/strong><\/p>\n

30 And he said, \u2018No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Abraham\u2019s third reply<\/strong><\/p>\n

31 He said to him, \u2018If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXPLANATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

This parable is addressed to the Pharisees who were lovers of money (Lk. 16: 14).<\/p>\n

The \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d in the parable was oblivious to any wrong\u2013doing in loving and enjoying his honestly acquired money in the very presence of the \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d. His blind indifference to the \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d and his sufferings, which he could alleviate so easily, was his grave sin.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

19 \u201cThere was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man\u2019s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man\u2019s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Here is a contrast between two men, one of whom had everything and the other had nothing. The juxtaposition of \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d and \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d recalls the first beatitude and woe which are portrayed in the parable: \u201cBlessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God<\/em>\u201d; \u201cBut woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation\u201d<\/em> (Lk. 6: 20, 24).<\/p>\n

\u201cPurple<\/em>\u201d refers to woolen garments dyed in the colour worn by royalty. \u201cFine linen<\/em>\u201d refers to rich undergarments imported from Egypt (Ez. 16: 13; Ap. 18: 12).<\/p>\n

\u201cwho feasted sumptuously every day<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is a description of absolute luxurious living, the perfect portrayal of someone who lives for himself. That was his real sin.<\/p>\n

The Jews regarded God as creator to be the owner of all land and consequently those who \u2018owned\u2019 land were really renting it from God\u2019s representatives, all his children, including the poor. Thus the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d in the parable was regarded by the Jews as owing alms as rent to the \u201cpoor man, Lazarus<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLazarus<\/em>\u201d is the only name assigned to a character in a parable. The word means \u201cMy God helps\u201d. God alone helped him by his promises in the Bible and this was his only comfort.<\/p>\n

Because the \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d was named, it became popular in retelling the parable to refer to the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d by the Latin title \u201cDives\u201d. There is no foundation in sacred scripture for this name.<\/p>\n

\u201cat his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This man was probably crippled because he is described as lying at the gate.<\/p>\n

\u201cthe dogs came and licked his sores.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The dogs are mentioned to highlight the plight of the \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d because dogs were not domestic pets but strays or wild and regarded as unclean and so, by licking his sores, added to the poor man\u2019s woes. This describes his helplessness.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The conditions of the two men are completely reversed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbraham\u2019s bosom<\/em>\u201d refers to a very close relationship with Abraham, similar to that of a child with his father This is how John\u2019s Gospel describes the relationship between Jesus and John, the beloved disciple, who rested his head on Jesus\u2019 bosom at the Last Supper. The \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d is now very close to Abraham at the Messianic Banquet of heaven (Lk. 13: 28\u201329).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz\u2019arus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, \u2018Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz\u2019arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cand in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz\u2019arus in his bosom<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cHades<\/em>\u201d is also known as Sheol or the abode of the dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he called out, \u2018Father Abraham, have mercy upon me<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 He who never showed mercy to the \u201cpoor man<\/em>\u201d now cries for mercy. By calling Abraham \u201cfather<\/em>\u201d does not necessarily mean that he ever regarded himself as his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cand send Laz\u2019arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d has not changed his attitude \u2014 he is rich and therefore merits servants, one of whom he now enlists, Lazarus! He tells Abraham to send him for water to cool the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d. His arrogance has him order Lazarus to do chores for him. While Lazarus was alive the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d seemed to be oblivious of his very existence yet here he shows that he was aware of him and knew his name.<\/p>\n

The contrast in the status of the two men is emphasised, one being \u201cin torments<\/em>\u201d, the other \u201cin the bosom<\/em>\u201d of Abraham. John the Baptist had already warned \u201cDo not begin to say to yourselves, \u2018We have Abraham as our ancestor\u2019; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 3: 8\u20139). Here is a clear teaching that in the next life there is reward or punishment depending on how one has lived morally. The punishment is described as by fire.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

25 But Abraham said, \u2018Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz\u2019arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut Abraham said, \u2018Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz\u2019arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d called Abraham his \u201cfather\u201d. Abraham now calls the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d \u201cSon<\/em>\u201d. God continues to love as his children those in hell.<\/p>\n

An additional suffering and punishment is added, namely that there is a gulf or canyon between the two states whose purpose is to prevent movement from one to the other. Each state is eternal and so is the inability of movement between the two. There is no hope of an end to the suffering and punishment.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

27 And he said, \u2018Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father\u2019s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he said, \u2018Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father\u2019s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d now begs that Lazarus, whom he ignored all through his life, might become a witness to warn his five brothers about what punishments lay ahead of them. In his mind Lazarus\u2019 state of poverty makes him a servant forever, even in paradise. He shows no concern for anyone other than his five brothers. If any of these had family of their own he shows no interest in saving them from the torments he was enduring.<\/p>\n

He has a complaint \u2014 he was not warned about his new abode\u2019s torments.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

29 But Abraham said, \u2018They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut Abraham said, \u2018They have Moses and the prophets<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 Abraham corrects his assertion that he was not warned. Special messengers are not needed to warn people since all the necessary information and fore\u2013warnings are contained in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

\u201clet them hear them<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201chearing\u201d means more than listening; it includes obeying. This is a most frequent theme in Luke\u2019s Gospel (Lk. 5: 1, 15; 6: 17, 27, 47\u201349; 7: 29; 8: 8\u201315, 18, 21; 9: 35; 10: 16, 11: 28; 14: 35; 19: 48; 21: 38).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

30 And he said, \u2018No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he said, \u2018No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 They were not prepared to listen to the prophets but they would listen to someone risen from the dead, said the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d. Not only would they listen and obey; they would \u201crepent\u201d, that is change their life\u2013styles, he adds.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

31 He said to him, \u2018If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.\u2019\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe said to him, \u2018If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 Abraham makes it very clear that if someone does not listen to \u201cMoses and the prophets<\/em>\u201d, that is the entire Old Testament, they will not listen to Lazarus at that time or to Jesus, the prophet who would be raised from the dead at the resurrection.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Two of the principal themes in Luke\u2019s Gospel are God\u2019s mercy and tenderness which are treated in chapter 15 (the compassionate father who had two sons), and the Christian attitude to riches and possessions (chapter 16). This latter chapter is a reminder that \u201cno man is an island\u201d but lives in \u2018community\u2019 with other people and, therefore, has societal responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s Gospel is frequently called \u201cThe Gospel of the Poor\u201d. This chapter 16, treating of money and wealth, urges us to use our possessions wisely and responsibly (Sunday 25C), and points out pitfalls that could jeopardise our eternal salvation. We will reflect on the Gospel teaching in this passage about the rich man.<\/p>\n

It may seem unimportant that this man does not have a name, a normal lacuna in all parables with the exception of the poor man called Lazarus here. Perhaps this was not the intention but it might be beneficial if each of us were to insert one\u2019s own name here in the role of the \u201crich man<\/em>\u201d. This would certainly make the parable very personal.<\/p>\n

The most obvious point in this parable about the rich man is that he had absolutely no pity or compassion for the poor man. He saw him at his gate daily and even knew his name but he never spoke to him or helped him. The relationship was absolutely impersonal. It could very well be that he threw some money into various collections for the needy but this poor cripple dying at his gate was never helped personally. The rich man was never touched<\/em>, physically, emotionally or any other way, by the poor man. No natural compassion was aroused. Worse still, he did not see him with the eyes of faith, as Jesus would see him. This is an important lesson from the reading. It provokes the question \u2014 do I see, with the eyes of faith, others less fortunate than I am? Do I really love<\/em> my neighbour or do I use the neighbour to help me into heaven \u2014 no personal relationship between us; my real interest is my own welfare and getting into heaven, not the poor whom I may try to use only to buy my way into paradise?<\/p>\n

The parable speaks of the rich man\u2019s gate to lock Lazarus outside. It had another effect: it locked the rich man inside and kept him from helping Lazarus and from Lazarus helping him. Because he would not allow Lazarus help him, it was the gate of hell for the rich man. The rich man was not condemned to hell for any crime such as wealth acquired by stealing or other foul means. His sin was complacency. He sinned by omission \u2014 \u201cI have sinned for what I have failed to do\u201d (Act of contrition). He did nothing against Lazarus but he did nothing for him. His sin was not his wealth but his lack of compassion and mercy. What he had he excluded from others. His riches made him blind to human suffering.<\/p>\n

Ultimately everything was created by and belongs to God. We are his stewards. It may not be much that we have but whatever it is came from God and was loaned to each of us. Like the steward in last Sunday\u2019s Gospel, this same chapter 16, we have to give an account of our use of his loan. This is the meaning of the old saying, \u201cNo one goes to heaven alone\u201d. If the rich man had not locked himself off from Lazarus he would have gone to heaven with him. Lazarus was his key to heaven.<\/p>\n

This parable is not to be read as an attack on the rich and on wealth. It is meant to make us reflect on our responsibilities as people of faith who see one another as brothers and sisters in the community called Church. It is meant to see Jesus in others, especially the poor and needy \u2014 \u201cWhatever you did to one of these, the least of my brothers, you did to me\u201d<\/em>. It alerts us to the possibility of being on the wrong side of the great chasm in the next life and provokes us to do something about that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TEXT: LUKE 16: 19\u201331 Rich man and Lazarus 19 \u201cThere was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5946"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7586,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5946\/revisions\/7586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}