The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (16:19-31)

Our Lord Jesus Christ loves the human race so much that He could not stand that we would be left in the dark. He could not stand the thought that humanity should live in ignorance and darkness regarding the realities of life as well as death. He could not stand that we would be without knowledge regarding the things that really matter in this life and in the life that is to come.

One of the diabolical thoughts of the world, a thought that has disrupted and caused people to stumble greatly is the thought that the afterlife is not real. Another thought is similar to it. There is among some the idea that the afterlife is real but that it will be joy and peace for all people. That God will save all people, that all people will enter into the kingdom together. This is a thought that is not new. We even have church writers who mention this as a hope but they do not typically go so far as to call it a doctrine or dogma of the church. And of course we have people in modern times who say similar things including the unitarian universalists, who believe that it doesn’t matter who you worship or what you do, everyone will be saved, will enjoy the presence of God, at the end.

Well my brothers and sisters, let me remind you that today’s parable from the gospel according St. Luke is in contradiction to the idea that the afterlife will be joy and peace for all people. It is also in contradiction to the idea that we will all be saved and enjoy being in the presence of God. If you believe those ideas, you are in direct contradiction to the teaching of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

He tells a story with two main characters; the rich man and Lazarus. Please note that this is not the same Lazarus who is the brother of Mary and Martha, although perhaps there is a connection hidden in this name that Our Lord has chosen.

The rich man had a great life. He lacked nothing in life. He had everything. There was also a very poor man named Lazarus who had the exact opposite type of life as the rich man. Where the rich man was dressed in the finest clothes, Lazarus was dressed in rags, barely clothed at all. Where the rich man feasted greatly, Lazarus begged beneath the table. While the rich man had servants and maids and no doubt had many people all around him to celebrate and eat and drink with him, the poor Lazarus had dogs as his companions. It should be noted here that dogs were not seen as pets. In Scripture the dogs are seen as unclean, as filthy street animals.

Something happened to both of these men and it happened suddenly, without warning. I was thinking the other day about that difficult time that we all went through together beginning in March of 2020 with the coronavirus that spread all over the globe. It happened so suddenly didn’t it? One day the whole world was going about it’s business as usual and the next day, the world became like a fortress, everyone locked away in their homes, schools shut down, churches shut down, businesses shut down. Life changed and there was basically nothing to stop it. This was how death came upon Lazarus and the rich man. Suddenly. This is also how death will come for us. Suddenly. You make plans and you have activities and hopes and dreams and struggles and then it comes quickly, like a thief in the night. This is precisely why the Lord tells us to be watchful.

Unfortunately for the rich man, on the day that he died he learned that it was too late for him. It was too late to repent. It was too late to cultivate love for God and love for His neighbor. It was too late to think about feeding the poor Lazarus who had begged at his table with the dogs. It was too late. Death will be a harsh reality for those who don’t love God and who don’t have mercy towards others.

What was the difference between the rich man and Lazarus? They were both humans. They were both men. God had created them both. But something differentiated them. Something allowed one to enjoy rest and peace while the other suffered and was in torment. Interestingly the text never says that it is because God punished one and spared the other. It was, rather, the condition of their souls.

Lazarus had a beautiful soul full of light and full of love. He was probably miserable for much of his earthly life but through everything, through all of his sufferings, his soul was cleansed and he was comforted by God. He had absolutely no other comfort, no other helper, not even the wealthy man who sat at the table with plenty to spare. Since he had no other comfort in life, God became his true comfort and consolation.

When you and I hear about Lazarus we are sad for him. It is true that we should have pity on him, but look at what he gained for all of his sufferings. A radiant soul! We see that the kingdom is not according to our human wisdom. The rich man who had everything in life, turned out to be quite empty handed. He had nothing when his soul was forcefully separated from his body. He had no fine clothes, no gourmet food, no wealth, and no virtue. On top of all of this, since his soul lacked virtue it was darkened and it remained in that state permanently once the soul was separated from the body.

The rich man embodied the warning of Christ “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.” Why did the Lord say this? Was it because He wanted to pick on rich people? Was it because He didn’t like them? Not at all. He said these things out of love, to warn us. If a man is content with his life and everything in his life, he may feel self-sufficient and might even begin to think that God doesn’t matter, that virtue doesn’t matter, that mercy towards others doesn’t matter. He might enjoy the pleasures of life so much that he even forgets that the very days of his life are numbered.

Likewise, when I think about Lazarus I am reminded of the sermon on the mount. Listen to the words of our Lord Jesus “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matt 5:3-4) Lazarus embodied this. It became part of who he was. One of the most important lessons that we can take from this passage is that every difficulty and trial, and every pain and sorrow in your life is something that can be a tool for your salvation. Sickness, disease, the loss of a job, these are all terribly difficult situations in life, but God sometimes allows such difficulties. Let us carry these crosses faithfully, without grumbling, without doubting God. St. Anthony of Optina writes, “Of course, it would be easier to get to paradise with a full stomach, all snuggled up in a soft feather-bed, but what is required is to carry one’s cross along the way, for the kingdom of God is not attained by enduring one or two troubles, but many!”

I want to leave you with one more quote from St. Maximos the confessor, who writes, If God suffers in the flesh when He is made man, should we not rejoice when we suffer, for we have God to share our sufferings? This shared suffering confers the kingdom on us. For he spoke truly who said, ‘If we suffer with Him, then we shall also be glorified with Him’ (Rom. 8:17). AMEN.

Source: Sermons