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…
The Gospel of Luke from which the story of the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus is found, has often been called the ‘gospel of the poor,’ ‘the gospel of women’ and the ‘gospel of sinners,’ because the poor, women and sinners play such an important role in Luke’s recollections of the ministry and words of Jesus.
It is only in the Gospel of Luke that we have recorded the story of the rich man and Lazarus; the story of the Prodigal son, Mary’s exultant hymn of praise, the Magnificat, and the story of the good thief.
St. Luke was keen on capturing the words and deeds of Jesus that showed his unfailing and extraordinary love and compassion for those who lived on the margins of society.
The heart of the authentic Christian should always be shaped by the one whom Luke names as merciful and forgiving. St. Theresa of Calcutta understood well this good news when she said that when the poor and the dying are embraced and cared for, we do that to Jesus himself.
May our Lenten itinerary of conversion bring us closer to see the face of Jesus in the outcasts and powerless of society each day and in doing so may we reverence the real presence of Jesus in our midst.