One astonishing thing about this parable is that Dives (the rich man), even though he is in Hell, still thinks that Lazarus can be put at his disposal: "... send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue..." (Lk 16: 24). He not only thinks that he can relate to Abraham as a peer, but he also knows Lazarus by name even though when he was alive, he would not give him a morsel that would fall from his sumptuous table! Unfortunately for him, he is now not "the rich man" but: "... The man who had been rich" (Lk 16: 27). Furthermore, after the initial rebuff, his tone changes: "Then, father, I beg you to send Lazarus to my father's house" (Lk 16: 27). He is reduced to begging. This does not help him. There is a fatalism here as if his brothers will not listen to Moses and the prophets they will not be convinced "... even if someone rises from the dead." (Lk 16: 31) The continuity between Jesus and the Scriptures is thus indicated and the ultimate rejection of him by rabbinical Judaism. The challenge for each of us lies in whether we are behaving as Dives. It will be too late to change once we have died. Let us therefore respond to the Gospel now while we still have a chance to live according to the commands of the risen Lord who, as we hear in the Second Reading: "... is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords." (1 Tim 6: 15)
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