March 17, Thursday 2nd Week of Lent
St. Patrick
Daily Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10 & Luke 16:19-31
Jesus tells the story of the rich man and the poor Lazarus to the Pharisees. This demonstrates the wealth disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished. The wealthy man is dressed in purple fine linen and feasts daily sumptuous food. The plight of the poor is deplorable.
At the gate, Lazarus lies down, covered with sores, waiting to be fed from what spills from the table and for the dogs to lick his sores. The entire outlook completely changes in the afterlife. The angels carry Lazarus to Abraham’s side, and the rich man is in Hades, suffering torment. The gospel brings out the theme very clearly. If we fail to show kindness to the poor and marginalized, we will not be shown any kindness by the Lord.
Apart from being wealthy or impoverished, a person is the keeper of their fellow humans. A wealthy individual bears a more significant share of responsibility in this regard. The rich man was indifferent to the poverty and suffering of others. This wealthy man lacked the virtue of charity. As such, it is an invitation to be generous and kind, particularly to the poor.
In the season of Lent, we have the pious practice of almsgiving. We have the poor right on our doorsteps. Let us extend our generous hearts to help the poor and needy throughout our lives. We are the keepers of our neighbors.
Can you be generous toward one who greatly needs it? Be generous because God is gracious to you.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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