Readings: Am 6:1a, 4–7 • Ps 146:7–10 • 1 Tm 6:11–16 • Lk 16:19–31

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You will recall that last week the Gospel afforded us the opportunity to reflect upon the “two ways” that
are given for our choosing in this life, and that, at our death, we will be given our just rewards based
on how we walked that way — how we lived our lives — whether we lived for God or for the things of
this world. This week, as a direct follow-up, we see the end results of those two paths. We see that
the end of the road is indeed an end, but also a beginning of something new. Depending on the path,
though, the results can be glorious or disastrous, and those for an eternity. Let’s look at the Gospel to
get a deeper understanding of this.

Jesus tells the Pharisees today about a rich man, whom tradition has called “Dives” simply because
in Latin that is the word for “rich man.” He was known for the high quality of his clothes and the
lavishness of his food. Now, the Gospels would not mention such specific facts if they were not
important. What a man wears and what he eats are ultimately of passing import in a story — that is
unless those are the things that define the story. For Dives, these were the things — the mammon —
which had taken over his life even to the point that his purple clothes and fancy meals had become
more important to him than the man who was dying on his front porch.

The poor man is Lazarus, whose name means “God is my help.” The fact that our Lord mentions his
name, but not the name of the rich man is important. St. Gregory the Great says this is “because God
knows and approves the humble, but not the proud” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Catena aurea, Lk 16,
Lecture 4). His situation is not just that of poverty, however. For Lazarus is not only poor — he is sick
and dying, and is all alone. Only the dogs are there to comfort him and clean his wounds. We know,
of course, that he must have often been neglected because the rich man liked food — he probably
had parties, or at least food coming in and out of his house often — and yet not a single person stopped
to tend to him, to bring him food, to help him. And so he died — poor, starving, sick, and alone. It
would seem a sad situation, but remember, as his name suggests, God is his help! “When the poor
man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” While he was despised in this
world, the angels of heaven rejoiced to bring him help and rescue!

Soon after this, the rich man also dies. Both men came to the end of their paths — and both received
their reward based on how they lived. It is clear from the Gospel: the rich man ended up in hell for
ignoring those in need — even one who was right on his front porch. It wasn’t necessarily that he ate
fancy food (though luxury is always an easy path to sin), but because he did nothing to help the starving
man “who would gladly have eaten of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.” Lazarus, on the
other hand, who had suffered a great deal in this world, was welcomed into Paradise by none other
than Abraham, our father in faith. The rich man had become the poor, for he did not even have water
to quench his thirst, and his suffering was terrible in the never-ending fires of hell. The poor man had
become rich, for now he rejoices in the glories and joys of heaven forever. The one chose comfort in
this life and received torments in the next. The other suffered torments in this life and now has comfort
in the next.

It seems backwards, perhaps, but this is the way of God. This is yet another example of how St. Luke
shows the “topsy-turvy” nature of the Gospel — how he shows that God’s ways and thoughts are so
far above our ways and thoughts (cf. Is 55:8–9). By our reckoning, sure Lazarus should have peace
in the next life. After all, he suffered so. But should Dives really be punished forever simply for not
giving food to someone? By our reckoning no, but by God’s, well, yes. Because there is more than
simply not giving food to someone here. Here, there is a chasing after mammon over God, and it is
shown by not loving a neighbor, even one who is dying on your porch. Here, there is absolute hatred
of neighbor instead, and it leads straight to hell.

Brothers and sisters, we are not on this road to eternity alone. There are many others on the path as
well and we must help each other along. When we see someone suffering the pains of this world, we
as Christians must do what we can to help them, with food, drink, clothing, and the like. It cannot stop
only at material help, though. We must pray for each other, especially those who suffer, even daily.
Being Christian means that we show concern and care for all the poor, whether it be materially or
spiritually. By doing these things, we help remind one another that “the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18), and even that the
sufferings of this world are worth the pain if they help us stay on the path to heaven.
This week then, I encourage you to take this Gospel to heart and prayer. Is there a way you can help
the poor this week or even regularly? And remember, money is a help, yes, but don’t let that be the
only thing you do. Our hearts have to be in it too. That may mean we have to sacrifice a bit to help the
poor, with money, time, talents. Helping those less fortunate than us may mean we have to give up
something we have or want to do. Whatever it may be, though, we cannot ignore the poor — we have
to make sacrifices for the Lazarus on our door and cannot stay hidden in our trappings like Dives. For
the poor are cherished by the Lord, and he hears them when they cry (cf. Ps 34:6). When we reach
the end of our path, that cry will sound out against us if we did not help them, just as it did against
Dives when he saw Lazarus in heaven. If we help the poor, on the other hand, we can be assured of
the Lord’s help and can even hope, like Lazarus, to be carried to heaven by the angels and welcomed
into heaven by those we were able to help in the Name of Christ in this life. For truly when we help
someone for the sake of Jesus, we help Jesus Himself, and because of that, by seeking to help the
poor in this world, we can hope to hear at the end of our lives those blessed words of Christ: “Come,
O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt
25:34).
We are not alone on this path. We can and must help each other on the way as we strive to heaven.
And so I ask you, how will you help someone to heaven this week?
THE END OF THE PATHS (Luke 16:19-31 / Lukas 16:19-31)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple & fine linen & fared
sumptuously every day:
Mayroon ngang isang taong mayaman at siya’y nagdaramit ng kulay ube at
maselang lino, at sa araw-araw ay kumakain ng sagana:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full
of sores,
At isang pulubi na ang pangala’y Lazaro, lipos ng mga sugat, ay inilalagay sa
kanyang pintuan,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.\
At naghahangad na mapakain ng mga mumo na nangahuhulog mula sa dulang
ng mayaman; oo at lumapit pati ang mga aso at hinihimuran ang kanyang mga
sugat.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, & was carried by the angels into
Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
At nangyari, na namatay ang pulubi at siya’y dinala ng mga anghel sa
sinapupunan ni Abraham: at namatay naman ang mayaman, at inilibing.

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, & seeth Abraham afar off, &
Lazarus in his bosom.
At sa Hades na nasa mga pagdurusa ay itiningin niya ang kanyang mga mata,
at natanaw sa malayo si Abraham, at si Lazaro ay nasa kanyang sinapupunan.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, & send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, & cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame.
At siya’y sumigaw at sinabi, Amang Abraham, maawa ka sa akin, at suguin mo
si Lazaro, upang itubog niya sa tubig ang dulo ng kanyang daliri, at palamigin
ang aking dila; sapagkat naghihirap ako sa alab na ito.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good
things, & likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented.
 Datapuwa’t sinabi ni Abraham, Anak, alalahanin mo na ikaw ay tumanggap ng
iyong mabubuting bagay sa iyong pamumuhay, at si Lazaro sa gayon ding
paraan ay masasamang bagay: datapuwa’t ngayon, ay inaaliw siya rini, at ikaw
ay nasa kahirapan.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they
which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence.
At bukod sa lahat ng ito, ay may isang malaking banging nakalagay sa pagitan
naming at ninyo, upang ang mga magibig tumawid buhat dini hanggang sa inyo
ay hindi maari, at gayon din walang makakatawid mula diyan hanggang sa
amin.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father’s house:
At sinabi niya, ipinamamanhik ko nga sa iyo, ama, na suguin mo siya sa bahay
ng aking ama;

28 For I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into
this place of torment.
Sapagkat ako may limang kapatid na lalake; upang sa kanila’y patotohanan
niya, baka pati sila’y mangaparito sa dakong ito ng pagdurusa.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear
them.
Datapuwa’t sinabi ni Abraham, Nasa kanila si Moises at ang mga propeta;
bayaang sila’y pakinggan nila.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead,
they will repent.
At sinabiniya, Hindi amang Abraham: datapuwa’t kung ang isang mula sa mga
pay ay makaparoon sa kanila, sila’y mangagsisisi.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they
be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
At sinabi niya sa kanya, Kung di nila pinakinggan si Moises at ang mga propeta,
ay di rin mangahihikayat sila, kahit ang isa’y magbangon sa mga patay.
 This is our opportunity to reflect upon the “two ways” that are given for our
choosing in this life, and that, at our death, we will be given our just rewards based
on how we walked that way — how we lived our lives — whether we lived for God
or for the things of this world. We see the end results of those two paths. We see that
the end of the road is indeed an end, but also a beginning of something new.
Depending on the path, though, the results can be glorious or disastrous, and those
for an eternity.

Jesus tells us today about a rich man, whom tradition has called “Dives” simply
because in Latin that is the word for “rich man.” He was known for the high quality
of his clothes and the lavishness of his food. Now, the verse would not mention such
specific facts if they were not important. What a man wears and what he eats are
ultimately of passing import in a story — that is unless those are the things that
define the story. For Dives, these were the things — the mammon (kayamanan) —
which had taken over his life even to the point that his purple clothes and fancy meals
had become more important to him than the man who was dying on his front porch.

The poor man is Lazarus, whose name means (Hebrew) “God is my help.” The
fact that our Lord mentions his name, but not the name of the rich man is important.
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). Because God knows and approves the humble,
but not the proud”. His situation is not just that of poverty, however. For Lazarus is
not only poor — he is sick and dying, and is all alone. Only the dogs are there to
comfort him and clean his wounds. We know, of course, that he must have often
been neglected because the rich man liked food — he probably had parties, or at
least food coming in and out of his house often — and yet not a single person stopped
to tend to him, to bring him food, to help him. And so he died — poor, starving, sick,
and alone. It would seem a sad situation, but remember, as his name suggests, God
is his help! “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom
of Abraham.” While he was despised in this world, the angels of heaven rejoiced to
bring him help and rescue!

Soon after this, the rich man also dies. Both men came to the end of their paths
— and both received their reward based on how they lived. It is clear from the
Gospel: the rich man ended up in hell for ignoring those in need — even one who
was right on his front porch. It wasn’t necessarily that he ate fancy food (though
luxury is always an easy path to sin), but because he did nothing to help the starving
man “who would gladly have eaten of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.”
Lazarus, on the other hand, who had suffered a great deal in this world, was
welcomed into Paradise by none other than Abraham, our father in faith. The rich
man had become the poor, for he did not even have water to quench his thirst, and
his suffering was terrible in the never-ending fires of hell. The poor man had become
rich, for now he rejoices in the glories and joys of heaven forever. The one chose
comfort in this life and received torments in the next. The other suffered torments in
this life and now has comfort in the next.

It seems backwards, perhaps, but this is the way of God. This is yet another
example of how St. Luke shows the “topsy-turvy” (pabaligtad) nature of the verse
— how he shows that God’s ways and thoughts are so far above our ways and
thoughts (cf. Isaiah 55:8–9). By our reckoning, sure Lazarus should have peace in
the next life. After all, he suffered so. But should Dives really be punished forever
simply for not giving food to someone? By our reckoning (pagtantiya o pagbilang)
no, but by God’s, well, yes. Because there is more than simply not giving food to
someone here. Here, there is a chasing after mammon over God, and it is shown by
not loving a neighbor, even one who is dying on your porch. Here, there is absolute
hatred of neighbor instead, and it leads straight to hell.

* We are not on this road to eternity alone. There are many others on the path
as well and we must help each other along. When we see someone suffering the
pains of this world, we as Christians must do what we can to help them, with food,
drink, clothing, and the like. It cannot stop only at material help, though. We must
pray for each other, especially those who suffer, even daily. Being Christian means
that we show concern and care for all the poor, whether it be materially or spiritually.
By doing these things, we help remind one another that “the sufferings of this present
time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rome
8:18), and even that the sufferings of this world are worth the pain if they help us
stay on the path to heaven.

** Money is a help, yes, but don’t let that be the only thing you do. Our hearts
have to be in it too. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–
24). We are to treasure the Lord Jesus most of all. When Jesus is our treasure, we
will commit our resources—our money, our time, our talents—to His work in this
world. Our motivation for what we do is important (1 Corinthians 10:31). That may
mean we have to sacrifice a bit to help the poor, with money, time, talents. Helping
those less fortunate than us may mean we have to give up something we have or
want to do. Whatever it may be, though, we cannot ignore the poor — we have to
make sacrifices for the Lazarus on our door and cannot stay hidden in our trappings
like Dives. For the poor are cherished by the Lord, and he hears them when they cry
(cf. Psalm 34:6). When we reach the end of our path, that cry will sound out against
us if we did not help them, just as it did against Dives when he saw Lazarus in
heaven. If we help the poor, on the other hand, we can be assured of the Lord’s help
and can even hope, like Lazarus, to be carried to heaven by the angels and welcomed
into heaven by those we were able to help in the Name of Christ in this life. For truly
when we help someone for the sake of Jesus, we help Jesus Himself, and because of
that, by seeking to help the poor in this world, we can hope to hear at the end of our
lives those blessed words of Christ: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). We
can serve the Lord wholeheartedly, knowing that God is the One keeping score, and
His reward will be abundantly gracious. “Always give yourselves fully to the work
of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1
Corinthians 15:58).

The Lord will be faithful to reward us for the service we give Him (Hebrews
6:10). Our ministries may differ, but the Lord we serve is the same. “The man who
plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded
according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8).

Verse na may kaugnayan

• Amos 6:1a, 4–7 (basahin)

That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, & eat the
lambs out of the flock, & the calves out of the midst of the stall;

• Psalm 146:7 (basahin)

Which executeth judgment for the oppressed; which giveth food to the hungry. The
Lord looseth the prisoners

• 1 Timothy 6:17-18 (basahin)

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in
uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to
communicate;
* Ipinapakita sa paksa na ito, na habang tayo ay nabubuhay at naririto pa sa
mundong ito, maari tayong pumili ng daan na magdadala sa atin sa piling ng Dios:

Isa na rito ang:

1. (Do good, rich in good works; show concern and care to the poor)
Pagmamalasakit sa ating kapwa, lalong lalo na don sa mga walang inaasahan
kundi ang biyaya ng Dios, kung alam mong walang wala siya at meron ka
naman bigyan mo siya sa abot na iyong makakayanan.

2. (Ready to help the needy) Handang tumulong sa mga nangangailangan,

physically halimbawa, mayron tayong mga kasama sa trabaho na alam mong
madami siyang due, kung makakatulong kahit sa pag stapler ng pleadings o pag
xerox o pagpapapirma ng Affidavit di gawin muna wag mo nang hintayin na
sabihan ka pa.

3. (Pray for each other especially for the sick) Ipagdasal natin yung mga taong
may karamdaman [o may matinding sakit na maibsan ang sakit na kanilang
nararamdaman at hipuin sila ng kamay ng Dios].

4. (Willing to communicate) Pasyalan natin yung mga bilanggo, mga matatanda,

o kaya mga bata sa orphanage (tulad ng ginagawa ni Belen na pinuntahan nila
yung mga matatanda).

5. (Willing to distribute & share) your talents, kung magaling kang magturo sa
mga bata, turuan mo sila kung paano maging isang mabuting kristiyano, kung
magaling kang kumanta at sumayaw, turuan mo silang kumanta at sumayaw ng
mga awiting magpapalugod sa Dios.

Sa huli, kahit anong yaman natin sa mundong ito, pero hindi natin natulungan
yung mga taong nahihirapan o nagugutom pagdating sa kabilang buhay, tayo naman
ang makakaranas ng paghihirap at pagdurusa pagharap natin sa kanya kasi wala
tayong ginawa kundi magpakasarap sa mga biyayang tinatamasa natin sa mundong
ito.

Do whatever you do for the glory of his name Lord Jesus.