My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is a powerful day. It is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and we celebrate the feast of our p...
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is a powerful day. It is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and we celebrate the feast of our proto-martyr, San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila. The Word of God today is not meant to comfort us; it is meant to shake us awake. We are going to look at three C-words that bind our readings together: Complacency, Consequence, and Challenge.
Complacency: The Sin of the Comfortable
The Prophet Amos cries out a Woe to the "complacent in Zion"—those who "lie on beds of ivory," feast sumptuously, yet "are not made sick by the collapse of Joseph." Our Gospel shows us this complacent man: the rich man dressed in purple, dining lavishly every day, who simply stepped over the starving man, Lazarus, at his gate.
My friends, let us look at our Philippines today. We are a nation struggling with rising prices, with deep poverty, with political shadows and moral decay. Yet, how often do we, the privileged, close our eyes? How often do we scroll past the headlines of injustice, turn the corner on the street from the beggar, and use our blessings merely to build higher walls of comfort around ourselves? The Christian faith does not condemn wealth; it condemns the indifference that wealth often breeds. It is not a sin to be rich; it is a sin to be indifferent. Are we sickened by the collapse of our countrymen, or are we simply enjoying our own feast?
Consequence: The Reversal of Fortune
The Gospel is a terrifying mirror of what happens to the complacent. The rich man and Lazarus die, and the tables are dramatically, eternally turned. The great divide is fixed, not because the rich man was wealthy, but because he failed to act on the clear commandment of love and justice given to him during his lifetime.
We are living our time of grace now. We cannot expect to ignore the suffering of Lazarus every day and then plead for pity in the next life. Jesus is telling us: The great divide between the rich and the poor, the comfortable and the suffering, is not merely a social problem; it is a spiritual chasm. The consequences of our indifference are not only felt here on earth, but they stretch into eternity. If you are not fighting for justice now, you are risking the eternal consequence of your own complacency.
Challenge: The Good Fight of Faith
The Apostle Paul gives us the antidote in our second reading. He tells Timothy (and us!) to "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness" and to "fight the good fight of the faith." This is the Challenge! This is the life lived by San Lorenzo Ruiz.
Lorenzo was a simple man who faced an impossible choice: renounce his faith and live a comfortable life, or hold fast to Christ and die a painful death. He chose Christ, saying, “I am a Catholic and I am willing to die for God... Had I a thousand lives, I would offer them all for Him.”
That is the Christian life! It is a constant, enduring fight against the complacency and for the justice and righteousness that God demands.
My challenge to you, the faithful people of God, is this: Will you continue to be deafened by your comfort, or will you allow the cries of the poor to pierce your heart? Will you be like the rich man who saw Lazarus but did nothing, or will you fight the good fight like San Lorenzo Ruiz?
The prophets have spoken, the Law is clear, and we have the witness of a Filipino martyr. The time for complacency is over. Let us rise, pursue justice, and make our faith not a comfort on Sunday, but a Challenge for every single day.
Amen.
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