Luke 16:19-31
Lead in: Pope Gregory the Great (540-604), one of the four great doctors of the Church, asked this question after reflecting on the story of the rich man and Lazarus. “Who are the Lazaruses who are in need of what daily falls from my table when I have been satisfied?” The same question can be asked today. Every day we’ll see a Lazarus begging at our table of abundance. It could be someone hurting, someone who’s lost hope, or someone in need of what only you can give. Give that person the time and attention they need. That is the simple offering that brings hope to their world.
Prompt: Who are the Lazaruses who lie at your gate begging? What do you believe you’re called to do for them?
Lead in: Jesus knew the story would not be well received by the Pharisees because it was directed at them. But that didn’t stop him from telling the story.
Prompt: Was there a time when you did not back down from delivering a hard message that you knew would not be well received, but you did it anyway? What did you learn from that?
Lead in: The story Jesus tells in Luke 16 is not to be taken as a condemnation against all material wealth. Rather, Jesus used the story as a warning to us. If the comfort with which the rich man lived caused him to forget the beggar at his doorstep, could the same not happen to us?
Prompt: What is it that you are doing, or could do, to keep you from forgetting the beggar at your gate?
Lead in: The parable of Lazarus and the rich man reminds us of the cost of discipleship. If discipleship means giving up what gets in our way of following Jesus, we can ask, “Are my material possessions more important to me than sharing what I have for those in need?”
Prompt: For you to live in greater solidarity with the poor, what changes do you feel called to make in your life?
Lead in: In the parable, when he died, Lazarus was carried off by angels to the bosom of Abraham. Abraham, like the man who dined sumptuously every day, was also a man of wealth. But while the rich man ignored the beggar at his table, Abraham was known to seek out the poor and invite them to his table.
Prompt: Who is it that you have ignored or tend to shy away from that you feel called to reach out to or at least change your attitude toward them?
Prompt: In terms of our mission, what can we as a parish learn from this parable?