A number of gospel readings given us by the Lectionary in the last few weeks have been about money. The parable of the unfinished tower talks of the impossibility of discipleship with possessions, the Prodigal Son story has jealousy over money at its heart, the dishonest manager uses money to ingratiate himself to rich friends and today we have the parable of Dives (Gk: rich man) and Lazarus. The latest is directed at those among the Pharisees who loved money. They were proud of their ritual purity and their observance of the law but were blind to their attachment to money. The rich man in the parable calls out: "Father Abraham" yet he remains in agony. Descent from Abraham is no guarantee of God's favour. Elsewhere Jesus states: "... for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham." (Mtt 3: 9) The stern message for the rich is that their neglect of the poor will be held against them and that their belonging to the Chosen People by birth will not avail them. Their hardness of heart not only leads to the suffering of Lazarus but also an inability to believe in God's power to save. We all need to be alert to the danger that our money and possessions will blind us to the suffering of others and harden our hearts to faith in God.
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