St John the Evangelist Parish

September 28, 2025

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I am embarrassed to admit that I frequently find myself dining and socializing with people who have millions and sometimes billions of dollars. I’ve eaten more caviar, lobster, and wagyu steak than most people on the planet. I justify it by saying it’s part of my job. However, I have seven pairs of nice jeans and a few pairs of expensive shoes.

So it is rather uncomfortable to hear Our Lord say: “My child, remember that you received what was good in your lifetime, while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented” (Luke 16:25). Fellow rich people (and if you’re American, you’re rich), do we not vehemently though quietly object to this parable’s karma-esque reward system? Why bless the rich man just to curse him later? And curse Lazarus just to bless him later? So Americans go to hell, while Burundians and Afghans go to heaven? What is going on?

One clue is that the condemned rich man doesn’t complain of injustice. Rather, he simply begs to help his brothers repent. Of what? We don’t know exactly. Perhaps another clue is that the rich man now seems more like the downtrodden Lazarus. He knows what it is to be hungry and thirsty, to be wounded in the gutter; that he deserved that, not fancy meals and clothes. Perhaps the rich man has finally learned how to receive true blessings, but it is too late for him. But not for me. Not for us.