St. Maria Goretti

The 1980’s in the United States weren’t just about Ronald Reagan, big hair and techno-music. You can’t talk about the 1980’s without talking about Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. This was one of the most popular syndicated TV shows of the decade. The television series which actually ran from 1984 to 1995 featured the usually extravagant lifestyles of wealthy entertainers, athletes, and business moguls. The show was hosted by Robin Leach, who made all of the extravagance that much more extravagant with his British accent. The show was a major hit, at least in its early years, as millions of Americans wanted to see and hear about, how the very rich lived. I think that there’s another aspect to the popularity of the TV show in that, if they weren’t showing our life on TV, then we must not be rich. The TV show allowed all of us to rest assured that if we didn’t have a solid gold toilet on our multi-million dollar yacht, if we didn’t have diamond-covered wheels on our new Bentley, and if we didn’t travel to some exotic, uncharted island off the coast of Spain to go on vacation at some exclusive hotel resort that cost more per night, than the gross national product of most Third World nations, THEN we weren’t rich. And we liked that. Because we live in one of the wealthiest areas of the wealthiest nations in the world, we like to pretend that we’re not rich. And why? Because if we admitted that we’re rich, then Jesus has some really sobering words for all of us.

My brothers and sisters, what we’ve got to start out with today, is the fact, that we are blessed people. We are rich! We are those comfortable, complacent people that the Prophet Amos is talking to in our first reading today. And we don’t like to admit that. Even the poorest among us, live far better than most of the rest of our world. You can be in debt up to your ears. You can drive a twenty-year-old car. You can live in a one-bedroom apartment. And let me assure you, you still live better than most people in our world. We have clean water. We have food to eat. We have some kind of roof over our heads. We have access to education. We have rights, and privileges, and freedoms, and abilities that most other people in our world can only dream of. Make no mistake about it, this Gospel is for us, all of us. And I’ve got to tell you, of all the Gospel texts in the Bible, there’s not one that sends a shiver up my back and neck quite like this one. This Gospel is different. It’s shocking. This text is meant to send a lightening bolt right into your soul. It’s a warning. Take the hint.

Today we meet “The Rich Man” and Lazarus. “The Rich Man” doesn’t even get a name. We know he’s rich, we know he eats well, and we know that he dressed well in purple garments. And we also know that he does nothing to help Lazarus who was lying right there at his beautiful door. The “Rich Man’ dies. The game’s over. He’s out of there. In contrast, Lazarus has nothing in this world, but at least we get his name. He’s a beggar. He’s got dogs licking his wounds. That’s a wonderful description, isn’t it? Lazarus is a mess – in this world. But Lazarus dies, and God takes care of him. He’s living the big life in Heaven. All of a sudden, everything is reversed, and old Lazarus is now living The Lifestyles of the Blessed and Saved. He’s swimming in God’s pool. He’s eating at God’s banquet table. He’s hanging out and partying with the angels and the saints. Eternal Life is good for Lazarus. It’s not so good for the “Rich Man”, who is watching all of this, and all he wants is a drink of water. Isn’t it something? Everything has changed. Here’s a man who’s lost his home, his money, and his purple linen clothes, and now all he wants is a drink of water? And the “Rich Man” doesn’t understand. Why wasn’t he warned? Why didn’t he see things differently? Why didn’t anybody tell him that this was going to happen? Can’t somebody go back from the dead, and warn his brothers, who apparently are on the exact same path? According to Abraham, it’s too late. Things are settled. For the “Rich Man”, it is welcome to the reality of what Jesus was talking about.

Is this story for the dead “Rich Man”? No, this story is for us! How many of us are just as complacent or more than this guy was? How many of us are so blinded by our things, our money, our toys, that we can’t see or hear God anymore? And we try and be so safe. We have insurance policies, and investments, and security systems, and back-up plans, and we eat salad, and take our vitamins, and we have our annual physicals. Guess what? We’re still going to die! All of us! And on that day, what’s going to happen to you? Are you going to be with Lazarus in Heaven? Or are you going to be with that other Rich Man, in the netherworld? You know, you don’t have to have a lot of money to be seduced by it. Make the right choice! Don’t be complacent!

May God bless us today, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!