Saturday 09 June 2012

Background

It is said that when Queen Victoria travelled up through theindustrialised north of England on the train she had the blindsdrawn on her carriage to prevent her seeing the landscape throughwhich she was passing.

That story came to mind when I read today's passage. Here we have avery rich man, who lived a life of plenty, protected from theworld. No doubt he had many servants and when he left his house inhis carriage he was protected from the sites of the real world byblinds discreetly drawn. At his gate we are told sits, or lies, abeggar, probably suffering from major sickness who has to scrabblefor his food in the rich man's bins when he can get away withit.

Here are two people living within yards of one another, but oneseemingly totally unaware of the needs of the other. Eventually hisdeprivation brings about the death of Lazarus and he, I suspect,much to his surprise finds himself in the presence of Abraham and alife he had only dreamt of before. The rich man also died, butinstead of the bosom of Abraham he finds himself in Hades (Hell).He pleads his case, and is chastened to realise that hisunawareness had prevented him gaining the salvation he longedfor.

A church I know was beginning a food parcel ministry for thehomeless and the poor in the community. There were however somemembers who were unhappy about the new ministry, not because theywere unwilling to give their money or even bring some food, butbecause those receiving the parcels were not seen as theirneighbour.

St Teresa of Avila writes, "Our Lord asks but two things of us:love for him and for our neighbour. I think the most certain signthat we keep these commandments is that we have a genuine love forothers. We cannot know whether we love God although there may bestrong reasons for thinking so, but there can be no doubt aboutwhether we love our neighbour or no."

To Ponder

How often do you walk past a beggar in the streetpretending you have not seen him or her?

Do you judge such people without knowing theirstory? How might you change your behaviour for the better?

Do you ever say to yourself, there but for thegrace of God, go I? And then what?