Lent reflection for 20 March

We don’t know from this story whether the rich man even saw Lazarus at his gate. Perhaps he didn’t notice. Perhaps he saw but he didn’t care. Perhaps he thought he was too busy, or too important to do anything.

We are not told his state of mind or his intentions; we only know that he does nothing and simply walks by. Maybe he is someone who judges people who live in poverty, hunger, or homelessness and cannot bring himself to help. But what has happened to his heart when he walks past? As Pope Francis asks us:

“If you cross a homeless person on your path, and you pass by without looking at him, or thinking ‘he’s drunk,’ do not ask yourself whether that man has had too much to drink, but whether your heart has stiffened and turned to ice.” (Angelus, 14 July 2019)

We might think that this gospel is only speaking about individuals, and how we each respond to our neighbour. But Saint Pope Paul VI referenced this gospel in his encyclical, Populorum Progressio, when he called for social change across the globe:

"It is a question... of building a world where every man... can live a fully human life... where the poor man Lazarus can sit down at the same table with the rich man." (#47)

To fulfil the vision of a world such as this, we cannot have hearts of ice and respond with indifference. We must be fully human, and learn always to recognise the humanity of others, building a culture of encounter.

Prayer

Loving God, you call us into encounters with our neighbour that melt our hearts and lead us to take action for change. Grant us the vision and creativity to build a new and more compassionate world together. Amen.

Act

The global debt crisis is causing untold suffering for millions of our sisters and brothers. Add your voice now to the global call for debt justice in the Jubilee Year.