Experiencing the Good
“Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.’”Luke 16:25
Last Sunday we heard the parable of the dishonest steward who was asked to prepare an account of his stewardship and acted prudently to ensure that life after being dismissed from his master would not be as difficult by being “generous” to his master’s debtors. Jesus also told His disciples that no servant can serve two masters and that we cannot serve both “God and mammon,” encouraging us to set our eyes on what is above. This Sunday we read the story between the rich man and poor Lazarus.
When both Lazarus and the rich man dies, there is a dialog between Abraham and the rich man. The rich man is being tormented while Lazarus is being comforted. Abraham told the rich man to remember the good things he has received in his life and see how he is being tormented now and vice versa for Lazarus. Is Abraham saying that if we live comfortably in this life we will suffer in the next? No. Not if we live with our eyes set on God.
It is not the fact that because the rich man enjoyed great wealth and treasure while he was alive that he is being tormented in the life that is to come. He is experiencing pain and torment because of the decisions he made while he was alive. There is nothing wrong with being rich. In fact, God wants us to enjoy the gifts of this world as they were intended and to be fully alive, but not to the neglect of others. This brings us back to last week’s readings. We must be good stewards. If God blesses us with great treasure, should we not use it wisely, sharing them with those who are less fortunate? God wants us to experience the good of this life, but not only that, He also wants us to experience the good of the life to come. The Good News is that we can have both! But how we experience the good in this life will affect how we may come to experience the good of the next.
Will we experience the good in this life while sharing it with others or will we choose to experience it selfishly? Let us remember that whatever good we may come to experience in this life is a gift, and gifts are meant to be given. May we give thanks to God for the good we have received in this life, and may we ask for the grace to use it wisely.
