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| Luca Giordano's Dives and Lazarus |
The rich man committed a sin of omission. He didn’t listen to the prophets of ancient Israel—for example, Amos, in today’s first reading—who advised that the rich and famous pampered themselves at the expense of those lacking basic necessities. The rich man forgot the prophets who said, Only do the right thing, love goodness, walk humbly with God.
Sometimes we don’t listen to what St. Paul in his letter to Timothy tells us to do: practice virtue so that we may have eternal life through Jesus Christ. A blueprint can be found in the seven “corporal works of mercy”:
Feed the hungry. Millions of people are hungry. Countless children suffer malnutrition, and thousands die each day. In feeding the hungry, we feed Jesus himself. We might contribute to Catholic Relief Services. We might feed the intellectually hungry by mentoring them, or volunteer in religious education.
Give drink to the thirsty. When we pollute the air, when waste makes water undrinkable, we put lives at risk. Pope Francis in his letter, “Laudato Si”(Praise Be To You) urges us to care for our common home.
Clothe the naked. What about a “closet cleaning?” Do we need all those clothes? Why not donate them to St. Vincent de Paul or Goodwill?
Shelter the homeless. Government should provide systemic solutions, e.g., meaningful work incentives. We also can volunteer, e.g. with St. Vincent de Paul or Habitat for Humanity.
Visit the sick. Yes, the sick, especially the terminally ill, need our presence, which allows them to talk about their anxieties, and to transcend loneliness.
Ransom the captive. Connected to this are human rights: political and religious freedom, economic conditions that foster dignity and an environment conducive to raising a family. We need to stand up for the right of the unborn to life, and the right of the elderly to die with dignity. We can visit people in our prisons, and victims, to share faith, to teach, to pray, to give hope.
Finally, Bury the dead. Franciscans celebrate annually the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi. It is about our pilgrimage from this earth through the mystery of death into eternal life. It is natural to mourn someone’s passing. We might reach out to mourners, not just at the wake and funeral, but through the grieving.
We can think of a hundred and one ways to practice mercy in our daily lives. On the day of judgment, our prayer is to hear God say to us: Come, inherit the kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food; thirsty and you gave me drink; a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me; ill and you cared for me.
Yes, how we live today has eternal consequences. Seize the day. Seize the opportunity to do good for others today.
