Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 12, 2020
Jesus said to the Pharisees, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
“The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
“He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
In the mornings, I walk up Bancroft Avenue, the southern edge of UC Berkeley’s campus, on the way to law school. Rain or shine, I notice someone either lying asleep on the street or asking for money almost every day. I am ashamed to say, most of those days I either avoid eye contact or merely smile and deny their request when passing. In juxtaposition with this Gospel reading, there is a true irony in walking past someone this morning asking for spare change in the richest state in the richest country while entering one of the richest professions.
In the immediately preceding verses of Luke 16, Jesus excoriated the Pharisees for their love of money by saying, “for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Lk 16:15). The rich did not listen to the lessons while the poor were saved, even though the rich man asked for a clear and easy sign to be broadcast to the rich and poor alike. Now, just as then, the message is already present. Jesus makes it clear that the moral imperative to serve is right in front of us: those who are hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, or otherwise disenfranchised (Mt 25:41-45).
Last month, I passed by a man asking for money, but again did not engage him. A burning feeling in my stomach said I should simply turn around. As I reversed and walked towards the man through the crowd, he exclaimed, “Go Irish!” because he saw my Notre Dame sweatshirt. Disarmed, I returned the exclamation, gave him a gift card I had, and chatted briefly. The man then saw me off by saying, “Love you, brother.” I was struck by this, as we had just met, but I happily replied, “Love you, too.”
We do not need to see Lazarus, from today’s reading, raised from the dead to know the lessons of Jesus. All we need is to see the love right in front of us.
Prayer
Loving God, we ask the help of your Spirit to keep us from using our poor brothers and sisters to maintain our own comfort. Compel employers among us to provide living wages to all we employ. Constrain our greed and expand our awareness that we are all one in you, whether rich or poor. Give us the grace to do all we can to assure that the needs of all who are your special favorites—the ones who are most often ignored—are met. We ask for the compassion and justice of Jesus, your Son and Our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Seraphina, also known as Fina, is venerated for the courage with which she endured the suffering of illness.
Fina was born to a poor family in the town of San Gimignano, in the Tuscan region of Italy, in the 13th century. She was a beautiful child and had a strong devotion to prayer and to serving others. Even though her family was poor, she always kept half of her food to give to those who were also hungry. She helped her mother with chores and sewing during the day.
Her father died when she was still young, and at about that same time, she was struck with a mysterious disease that deformed her head, hands, eyes, and feet. Her physical appearance changed drastically and she eventually suffered paralysis and had to be carried around on a plank. The slightest movement caused great pain.
Though her mother had to leave her for hours on end to work or beg, Seraphina never complained. She strove for peace in her terrible pain by identifying her own suffering with Jesus’, saying, “It is not my wounds but thine, O Christ, that hurt me.”
When her mother died suddenly, she was left in utter poverty, reliant on other neighbors who were poor and who did not want to be exposed to her sores. She learned about St. Gregory the Great, who also suffered from a debilitating illness, and she developed a devotion to him, asking him for prayer that God might grant her patience in her suffering.
St. Gregory appeared to her to foretell the day she would die, which came to pass on this day in 1253. When her body was removed from the plank on which it rested, the wood was found to be covered with white flowers. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Seraphina, who even in weakness became a strong sign of hope to the town of San Gimignano—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Seraphina is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
