Homily: Second Thursday of Lent

Second Thursday of Lent (Luke 16:19-31) “Who Are You?”

          Jesus seldom names people in his parables. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is an exception. What significance is there in the fact that Lazarus has a name? What it means is that Lazarus was probably someone that everyone was familiar with. Was everyone a friend of his? Probably not. There is a difference between seeing someone around and knowing them and befriending them.

          When I did college ministry, we often would have a fall break trip around Thanksgiving. The students and I would go to work in a soup kitchen and shelter in Chicago. At the soup kitchen, we would be involved in preparing food all day. At the end of the day, we would serve the food to the people who would come in off the street.

          The Franciscans had an interesting policy. When the line ended, they would ask the volunteers to go out and sit at the tables with the street people. If college students would go to sit at a table by themselves away from the guests, the Franciscan in charge would ask if they would sit with the people who had come in off the street. The idea that was stressed was that the volunteers should get to know the guests personally.

          The people who came had a variety of backgrounds. There were families with children. Also, there were men and women who suffered from mental illness and disease. Various races were represented. I sat next to a man one night who had once taught Physics. He carried a large textbook with him as he wandered the streets.

          After having these encounters with homeless people one was left to ask, “Could I be homeless?” The misfortune that has overtaken these people could happen to me. Empathy rather than sympathy was felt by the volunteers.

          Lazarus had a name. The sin of the rich man was not just that he was stingy. It was that he did recognize Lazarus’ human dignity.

Reflection Questions:

1.    When I see street people how do I feel? Would I feel safe speaking to them?

2.   Could I see myself falling into poverty? What might cause this to happen?

 Dear Parishioners,

           This weekend we will be having another Eucharist Moment. A member of Sacred Heart will be sharing why the Eucharist is important to them. It is always interesting to hear what motivates other people to come to Mass. There are many reasons.

          We might ask if we could put our reasons for attending Mass into words? We could also ask if we would be comfortable sharing our love of the Eucharist with someone else? Could we articulate what we believe and value?

          As a Lenten penance we might take an opportunity to share what we believe about the Eucharist. Could we strike up such a conversation? What is holding us back?

          May Our Lady of Peace pray for us today.

          Fr. Mark