Lazarus and The RIch Man

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied, 'My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father's house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said,
'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'"

LK 16:19-31

The name Lazarus means, "God is my help."  In today's reading, he is presented as a most pitiful creature.  He is poor and sick and humble enough that he would eat the scraps from the rich man's table.   We also have a rich man, who is not named so we can consider his identity to be "God is not my help."  He is the perfect contrast to Lazarus.  He is rich, and proud and well fed and very happy.  As it happens to all of us, the time came for each to die.  Lazarus, who suffered greatly during his lifetime is brought to Paradise where he sits and drinks coffee with Abraham.  The rich man, the man who trusted in himself and his riches and squandered them all for the good of his self, dies and we are told he is buried, no being carried to Abraham for him. 

We see now that the tables have been turned. Lazarus is enjoying the never-ending pleasures of heaven, after all, it was a bottomless coffee cup!  We also hear how the unnamed rich man is in torment because he did not count God among his friends.  He shouts out to Lazarus asking that he come and moisten his lips with some cool water.  Abraham responds to the rich man telling him that during his life he took no pity on the poor and he enjoyed all of the good things of earth and he was receiving the reward that he earned for what he had not done.  The man seems to accept his fate and asks that his brothers be warned about this place that was his for eternity, a place of pain and torment.  Abraham tells him that his brothers have the law and the prophets and should believe because of them.  The man says that they would believe if someone from the dead cam to tell them.   Abraham shakes his head and tells him, "If they won't listen to the Law and the Prophets, then they will not believe even if someone were to raise from the dead."

This Lenten season we are called to do more than we do at other times of the year.  We are called to get in touch with our spiritual side and to do things that nourish our souls more than our bodies.  We know the end of this story.  We know that Jesus is murdered upon the cross and He does raise from the dead.  Look around you, see what little things you can do for those you come into contact with every day.  Little anonymous acts of giving and kindness will help others have a good day and to perhaps pay forward the good fortune that you bestowed on them.  It will certainly make them think and that could be the first step to a person walking the road of conversion.  One of the major lessons in our reading for today is to not keep everything for yourself but to look around and to do good where you can.  If not during Lent, then when?



Purgatory is a real place and many are those that inhabit it.  They need our prayers and our sacrifices.  Please pray for the Poor Souls as part of your Lenten journey.  It will mean so much to them. 

Pope Francis on praying for the souls in purgatory

Pope Francis teaches that:

Even now we experience a communion between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven through our union with those who have died. The souls in heaven assist us with their prayers, while we assist the souls in purgatory through our good works, prayer and participation in the Eucharist. As members of the Church then, the distinction is not between who has died and who is living, but rather who is in Christ and who is not …

There is a deep and indissoluble bond between those who are still pilgrims in this world — us — and those who have crossed the threshold of death and entered eternity. All baptized persons here on earth, the souls in Purgatory and all the blessed who are already in Paradise make one great Family. This communion between earth and heaven is realized especially in intercessory prayer.

Teachings of Pope St. John Paul II on the souls in purgatory

Pope St. John Paul II also encouraged prayers for the dead:

Joined to the merits of the saints, our fraternal prayer comes to the aid of those who await the beatific vision. Intercession for the dead, just as the life of those living according to the divine commandments, obtains the merits that serve the full attainment of salvation. It is an expression of the fraternal charity of the one family of God, by which “we are faithful to the Church’s deepest vocation” (Lumen gentium, n. 51): “to save souls who will love God eternally” (Thérèse of Lisieux, Prayers, 6; cf. Manuscript A 77rº). For the souls in purgatory, waiting for eternal happiness and for meeting the Beloved is a source of suffering, because of the punishment due to sin which separates them from God. But there is also the certitude that once the time of purification is over, the soul will go to meet the One it desires (cf. Ps 42; 62) …

I encourage Catholics to pray fervently for the dead, for their family members and for all our brothers and sisters who have died, that they may obtain the remission of the punishments due to their sins and may hear the Lord’s call: “Come, O my dear soul, to eternal repose in the arms of my goodness, which has prepared eternal delights for you” (Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, 17, 4)”

Ten Ways to Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

It is appropriate to commemorate All Souls Day by praying for those who have gone before us in faith. Here are ten ways we can pray for our deceased friends and relatives, and for all our brothers and sisters who have died in Christ.

1. Pray the Novena to the Holy Souls by St. Alphonsus Liguori.
    
2. Offer up your Holy Communions for the souls in purgatory.
    
3. Have Masses said for your departed loved ones, especially on the anniversary of his or her death.
    
4. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the intention of the Holy Souls.
    
5. Eucharistic Adoration: visit the Blessed Sacrament to make acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on behalf of those in purgatory.
    
6. Sacrifices: practice small acts of self-denial throughout your day and offer these penances up for the poor souls.
    
7. Give alms: The giving of material assistance to the poor has always been considered a penance that can be offered for the Holy Souls. “For almsgiving saves from death, and purges all sin” (Tobit 12:9).
    
8. Ask for the intercession of saints who were known to be great friends of the Holy Souls during their lifetime to join you in prayer for the faithful departed: St. Nicholas of Tolentino, St. Gertrude the Great, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Padre Pio, St. Philip Neri, St. John Macías, St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Joseph, Our Lady, and others.
    
9. When passing by a cemetery: Pray the short Eternal Rest prayer: “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
    
10. Pray to earn indulgences for the holy souls:  On all the days from November 1 to November 8, a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Poor Souls, is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed (standard requirements for indulgences apply*). Partial indulgences are granted to those who recite Lauds or Vespers of the Office of the Dead, and to those who recite the prayer, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace”.