Thursday 2nd week of Lent
"Lk 16:19-31"
"There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish...And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And 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 hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead'."
This well-known parable of Our Lord brings to our prayer today the importance of omissions. This rich man didn't fall into Hades (Hell) because he used to scorn Lazarus or because he became rich taking advantage of the poor or because he kicked the poor out of his property. We can imagine the rich man at the Last Judgment, being told that he can't enter Heaven. He would protest, saying 'But why? What did I do? I didn't do anything!' And we imagine God's devastating answer: 'Precisely!'
St Josemaría used to say that Hell is paved with sins of omission. Often we don't commit these sins because we decide not to help. Usually it is because we didn't notice that they needed our help, material or otherwise: time, encouragement, comfort, appreciation, understanding, a smile... Every day people need our help. How many times we can miss opportunities to help others if we are not attentive! We then become like the rich man in the parable: he never saw the needs of Lazarus at his door – he was too busy thinking about himself. Holy Mary, our Hope, Handmaid of the Lord, pray for us that we may learn to see the needs of others and help them.
