A story is told in retreat circles about a high school valedictorian who begins his speech by saying, "I want to thank the school administration, my teachers, my parents, and my classmates, especially my best friend without whom I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be your valedictorian. I wouldn't be graduating. In fact I wouldn't be at all." He then tells the story of how on the afternoon they met, he intended to go home and kill himself, but the kindness and interest his friend had shown toward him kept him from doing it.
The story Jesus tells in today's gospel is a similar story, the real difference is in Jesus' story, the man doesn't reach out, and Lazarus dies. In each we see how much difference one action can make, what one little bit of kindness can do to dramatically impact a person's life. The rich man had so much, but he couldn't even part with the table scraps to help out the beggar Lazarus. No doubt, the rich man could have given Lazarus a job in his household or on one of his farms or properties. He could have sent him to one of his brothers or to a friend who could have helped. But the man just couldn't be bothered. And as Jesus pointed out in the Lazarus story, the choices we make when being confronted with another's need have real effects on the person. They lead him or her to blessed ness or to damnation.
Jesus uses the Lazarus story to look at how much difference our attitude makes. When the rich man dies and goes to hell, we see the attitude that took him there. "Fr. Abraham, send Lazarus to do for me." Lazarus isn't the man's servant. He isn't the no-account beggar lying at the man's door. He is the blessed and beloved of God. But the rich man only saw him as a thing to be used. This attitude led to the rich man's utter destruction.
That's the road to destruction, but what about the path to blessedness? A priest friend of mind is a clinical psychologist. One time I asked him "does it ever get to you listening to people's problems all the time." He said "Yes, it does sometimes." but then he went on to say, "with every troubled and hurting person that comes to me, I get to do what Jesus did, give comfort and healing to those in need. I do the Lord's work. What I do is sacred."
When faced with those who need our help, we can treat them as an annoyance that we can't be bothered with. We can look at them as someone to put in our debt - a marker we can call in at some future date. Or we can see it as a sacred work, an act of love that we do in imitation of Jesus. Only the last one is an attitude that is worthy of heaven.
Attitudes, understandings and intentions are really the heart of the matter. These are the things that our Heavenly Father sees when he looks into the secret of our hearts. These secrets reveal us as true disciple of Jesus who seek to live his life, follow his teachings and love as he loves us. Or the secrets of our hearts reveal us as selfish con artists, looking out only for our own interests. The truth for most of us is we are caught somewhere in-between; we want to follow Jesus but we are also caught in our sinfulness. We need help.
Today you will be receiving the prayer journals which can help us examine our attitudes, understandings and intentions, and if need be, to reform and remake those attitudes into ones more like those of Jesus. This is salvation. This is the road back to the Father. There is no other way.