The Great Depression that hit the US between 1929 and 1939 brought about massive economic hardship. But while the poor formed long queues to get their ration of soup in New York, the affluent in Long Island managed to put up a surprise party. The menu: all you could eat of the best steaks—for dogs; the price was $100 a plate (McKarns). In Hollywood, newspaper magnate, Randolph commissioned his mansion with enough bedrooms for the 94 special guests invited for his New Year’s eve (1932) party, featuring a Kid’s Masquerade. The party was so extravagant that a news reporter had to apologize to listeners, explaining that the beauty of the party was that the costumes were inexpensive—only $700 apiece. Here, the actual Lazarus meets the real Dives, who live pampered, comfortable lives while the poor are devastated by want.
Before penning these words, I searched the scripture to find anywhere Jesus directly condemned someone for being wealthy. I found none. Likewise, I didn’t find anywhere he praised someone for being poor. But I found many passages warning about the dangers of material prosperity. The rich man’s sin was not a sin of commission, rather that of omission. He was condemned not because he had possession but because he failed to take notice of the poor right at his nose. He could even be regard as an “okay guy” for tolerating the sight of Lazarus at the gate of his mansion and permitting him to check out his garbage for food. Lazarus must have smelled so awful as to attract street dogs that found their meal in his wounds. Dives, I suppose, would be kinder than many of us who would rather call the cops to haul that ugly sight, Lazarus, off our property.
All of us here today are the five brothers and sisters of the rich man. We may not be as rich as Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey, but in comparison with the rest of the world, we are fabulously wealthy. Warm clothes, air-conditioned rooms and cars, food and drink are within the beck and call of many. While others worry about not getting enough calories, our worry is too much calories. So our rich brother, Dives warns us from hell: “I want to warn you about the danger of riches; riches of all kinds—money, intelligence, health, power, and social or religious status. These can lead you to forget about God and others. That’s what happened to me. I thought I was successful, but from where I am now, I realize that God truly identifies with every Lazarus of the world—the hungry, the sick, the unborn, the immigrant, and the prisoner. One of them is lying at your door right now. Open your eyes—for if you establish a chasm between Lazarus and yourself, you’re doing the same between you and God—(Dives from Hell).”
Certainly, we’re incapable of meeting the needs of everyone in the world. When disaster strikes in the other parts of the world, we usually feel helpless given that scammers take advantage of every crisis. We must begin at home, where charity beckons, and support our parish, Catholic Charities, the Day Center for the Homeless that help you serve the poor.
There’s another troubling fact which today’s Gospel clears for us. Polls show that majority in our society, including Catholics do not believe in hell or Satan. Years ago, a Catholic School in Tulsa barred me from ever celebrating school Mass for them because the last time I did, I ignored a directive from the school authorities to change the reading of the day in which reference was made to hell. (You can imagine how deprived I felt). They and many others believe only in God, heaven, peace, and love. Sadly, there’s a serious problem with that judgment. It’s like believing in health and denying sickness or insisting that all students get an “A+” grade in a quiz whether or not they got the answers right. My promise to you all is that I will never redact the words of scripture so someone may feel happy. Christ spoke about hell for about ninety times, and should I be free to change His words for anyone’s comfort?
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo