MY daily reflection and prayer:
Thursday, February 25, 2016
The Second Week of Lent
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 16:19-31
Jesus says this parable, “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
IN today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us a story about a rich man who does not care of the poor named Lazarus. Even the rich man has no name. The rich man’s sin is that he doesn’t treat Lazarus as a person. He doesn’t mind Lazarus hanging around his table for the leftovers.
The serious sin of the rich man is that he doesn’t have compassion. The word compassion comes from Latin root that mean to suffer with others. It makes us more humane and opens us up to the hardships and sufferings of others.
Learning from the Gospel today we can ask ourselves: How have we responded to suffering of others? Has it made us more compassionate to others’ hardships?
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist while worshipping Jesus Christ we beg him to have compassionate to others’ sufferings. We are then more generous and lovingly serve the needs of others.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be generous and serve the needs of our neighbors. Fill us with your compassionate, so that we may have compassion to the suffering of others. Rid us of our selfishness. Make us your apostles of mercy in our daily lives now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
