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Exploring the word

25 Sep 2016 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

“Charity begins at home,” the saying goes. That’s also where it ends, for folks who draw the circle of responsibility with a short radius. Some of us terminate our locus of concern at the nuclear family unit, a definition of belonging that’s only been around since the early 20th century. Others may extend it briefly to include elder relatives or close personal friends. For those with a cultivated sense of community, generosity might be extended through the neighborhood, parish, village, or tribe. However we define who belongs to us, it’s clear most of us perceive some boundary beyond which our consideration or largesse is not required. In this regard, the rich man at his sumptuous dinner didn’t owe poor Lazarus a thing. By Jewish law, it was Lazarus’ own relatives who should have been seeing to the needs of this misfortunate fellow. Lazarus was like that homeless person rattling his Styrofoam cup at us for our spare change. Weren’t there agencies to which he could appeal? Or like that bloated child in the magazine photos: Her own government should do better by her, not ours. Those refugees streaming across Europe may well be victims of bad politics, warfare, economic mismanagement, or bigotry. Maybe all of the above. But how does any of that imply that their dire plight is ours to solve? Most of us find ways like these to wash our hands of the suffering that lies beyond our realm of perceived responsibility. The rich man in the story is no different. His lovely suppers were never disturbed by the thought, perhaps even the sight, of sore-infested Lazarus at his door. Maybe the rich man’s radius of owned responsibility was shorter than yours or mine, but truncated compassion is only a matter of degree. All too soon, the rich man will learn to his dismay that Father Abraham is Lazarus’ father too. How far is our love and compassion obliged to go? More to the point: How far is our obligation to do something about human suffering expected to go? If God’s expectations are the ones that concern us, then the answer is quite far indeed. Someone once asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” The response wasn’t comforting: essentially, everyone, including my enemy. Our instinctive defense mechanism against the cruelties of life is to construct fail-safe walls of moral culpability and to disappear behind them. Jesus takes down those walls brick by brick with teachings about loving enemies, blessing those who curse us, returning good for evil and forgiveness for injury. When Jesus forgives his murderers from the cross, there’s nowhere to hide from the truth: We can’t wash our hands of anyone. Charity may begin at home, but it can’t stay there. Related scripture links Theological virtues: 1 Cor. 13:13 Are we saved by faith or works?: James 2:14-26 Charity as divine attribute: 1 John 4:7-12 Took on human likeness: Phil. 2:5-11 Catechism links Charity: CCC 736; 864; 1812-1813; 1822-1829; 1832; 1889; 2055; 2831

Authors Alice Camille

Charity who is my neighbor human suffering lazarus

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Homily stories

10 Jul 2022 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

I couldn’t believe these were my neighbors, ganging up on a friend of mine, publicly dragging her through the mud. Literally slandering her on social media. She had even gotten threats. They were behaving out of pure vindictiveness. The daughter of a pastor, she had devoted her whole life to community service, most recently serving on a local school board. When she was elected before the pandemic, she had no idea what she was in for. Now, a small but very loud and angry group was trying to get her recalled. I attended one of her public hearings at the county building to show my support for her. I was so disturbed by the hate in the faces and voices of her opponents—one of them a guy who once helped me with landscaping my yard. My friend’s behavior was the opposite of theirs—I was in awe of her composure, humility, and most of all, moral courage. She never once stooped to their level. I was tempted to—scratch that, I was dying to stoop to their level—but I didn’t, because that’s the last thing she would have wanted. I learned first-hand from her example the answer to the question, who is my neighbor? It’s the one who acts with mercy. I pray for the grace to go and do likewise.

Authors Jennifer Tomshack

who is my neighbor?Mercy

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Word of the Week

17 November 2024

Presider’s Chair

\'pri-sīd-ərs 'cher\

Also known as the presidential chair, the seat in a parish church from which the celebrant leads the assembly during Mass. Its meaning derives from the chair, or cathedra in Latin, from which the diocesan bishop presides (from Latin meaning “to protect” or literally “to sit before”). The chair is a liturgical symbol of authority and pastoral leadership.

Pronunciation Read more

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