Saint Catharine & Saint Margaret
Social Media Outreach Ministry
Celebrating the Eucharistic Revival
Sunday's Gospel
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"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.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
"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.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
Fr Damian's Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
How did the rich man do it? Did he avoid using the door where Lazarus lay? Did
he have a servant clear the poor man off the doorstep before he came or went?
Did he keep his eyes upward as he walked? It can be hard to understand how this
man, who dressed in fine garments and ate “sumptuously,” could have ignored
the poor man who suffered just under his nose (Luke 16:19). He must have been
pretty callous to step over Lazarus and just go on his way!
And yet it happens all the time. Obviously, it happens in our time too. It’s easy to
become numb to the plight of those suffering or in need. Busyness can get the
better of us. Or fear of getting involved.
Given today’s readings, it’s a good time to examine how we treat people who are
less fortunate than we are. The truth is, we can’t take care of everyone’s needs,
but we can ask the Lord to help us see people through his eyes. We can try to be
sensitive to the Holy Spirit showing us a need. And we can trust that if we feel
God is asking us to do something, he will give us the grace to respond.
With Love and Blessings,
Fr Damian
The Blessing of the Pets will be held on Sunday, October 2nd at the St. Catharine’s Grammar School Playground at 11:15 am. Please join us!
Want More???
This video from Bishop Barron discusses how to treat wealth. It's from a different set of readings but it covers a related theme, namely that we should realize that, "You can't take it with you" so we should use our wealth to build up the Kingdom of God and so earn treasures in heaven.