HOMILY: Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 16:19-31
25 September 2022
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
Naranasan niyo na bang magutom? Mahirap na sitwasyon ito hindi ba? Mas masaklap kung, sa iyong pagkagutom, nakakakita ka ng mga taong nagpapakasasa sa pagkain at sa kalauna’y nagsasayang na rin ng pagkain. Sa bahay ng aking kaibigan, bawal magtira ng ni-isang butil ng kanin sa plato. Her grandfather taught them to get only what they can consume and to leavr their plate clean all the time. He pointed out that every grain of rice was the result of the sweat and effort of a farmer so it is not to be wasted. Kaya lubos din ang kanilang panghihinayang pag may nakikita silang wagas kumuha ng pagkain sa party tapos kalahati lang ang uubusin. Sana wag tayong ganoon. Nakakahiya sa kapwa nating mga nagugutom.
Both the First Reading and the Gospel relate stories of INDIFFERENCE to human suffering or the plight of others. The prophet Amos warns the people not to be too satisfied with the comforts and the privileges they enjoy in the world — those sprawled on their couches, eating food they did not bother to hunt for or to grow, drinking no longer from glasses but bowls! (Nakahilata sa higaan, ni hindi nangaso o nagsaka para makakain.) Yan naman ang buhay ng tamad at walang pakialam. The indifferent revel in wine and music while society is in ruins around them. Amos concludes, “They shall be the first to go into exile.” (Amos 6:7) It is a frightful consequence that awaits those who neither notice the suffering of their countrymen nor prepare to defend against the threat of invaders.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus tells us of a nameless Rich Man who lived a life of excess. What is interesting is the fact that it is the poor man who is given a name — Lazarus. This is strange, considering the poor usually do not count for much in this life. Sila ang mga di kinikilala, walang mukha, ipinagtatabuyan at naisasantabi sa lipunan. The rich man is said to wear fine clothing. He does not simply eat well; but we are told that he “dined sumptuously each day.” (Luke 16:19) While the rich man gorges himself; he literally does not see Lazarus in need at his doorstep. May mga nagsasabi na kaya walang pangalan ang mayaman sa kwento dahil maaari nating ipangalan ang karakter sa bawat isa sa atin. We at some point will identify with this rich man because we are all rich in our own ways. Maaaring sa pera, sa talino, sa abilidad, sa karanasan, sa impluwensiya, sa kaibigan o sa talento. Pero kung di naman natin ito magamit sa pagpapabuti ng ating kapwa, wala tayong pinagkaiba sa mayaman sa kwento.
One Bible commentator said that it should be noted that there is nothing in the story to suggest that “the rich man ill-treated Lazarus, was rude to him, shouted obscenities after him, held him in contempt or had him removed from his gate.” None of these things we find in the gospel story… Hence, the rich man is not called out for being rich but chastised for doing nothing when he should have been doing something for someone in need. The rich man’s problem is not his wealth but his indifference. In the movie, Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel Chu asks her boyfriend Nick Young if his family was indeed rich and he answers: “We’re comfortable!” and Rachel replying to that says, “That’s exactly what someone super-rich would say. Nakakalungkot kasi hindi naman siya talaga nagpapakumbaba, lumalabas na ang sobrang taas na antas ng pagkayaman ang siyang nakapagpapakuntento sa kanila. Would they not have been “comfortable” if they had been a few hundred million dollars less rich? At their level of wealth, it surely would not have made a dent in their pocket but it would have meant the world to a person whose life depended on whether they can manage to eat even once a day for a week. Someone said that the opposite of love is not hate, but it is indifference; the opposite of life is not death, it is indifference. This is why in the Confiteor we mention not only the sins borne out of our thoughts, our words, and our actions but also those that result from our failure to act on the good that we should have done. Yan ang tinatawag natin na “sins of omission”.
It was reported recently that humanitarian organisations estimate there is one person dying of hunger every four seconds. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have called on leaders gathered at the 77th UN General Assembly to take on decisive action to end the spiralling global hunger crisis. Sa ating bansa ramdam na ramdam ang hirap ng buhay. Ang gasolina, gulay, isda, karne, sibuyas, pati asukal at asin — lahat nagtataasan ng presyo! Lahat nagmamahalan, sana pati tayo — matutong magmahalan. Pansinin at mahalin natin ang ating kapwa. Let us love our neighbour. (Ang mga may asawa, hindi ko sinasabing magmahal ng iba. Baka sisihin niyo ako. Bawal pa rin sumakabilang-bahay.) We are called upon to be mindful of the sufferings of others and respond magnanimously to the needs of needy people in our midst. Billionaire Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia Founder along with his wife and their two adult children, irrevocably transferred their ownership of the outdoor apparel company to a set of trusts and non-profit organisations to fund efforts to deal with climate change, as well as protect the wilderness. After watching this news, my friend commented that he cannot believe that there are persons like Yvon who can do this for a greater cause. Dito kaya sa Pilipinas, kakayanin din yan ng mga nagmamayari ng napakalaking mga negosyo?
Finally, I want us to recall that the rich man ran out of time before he could change his ways. Namatay na siya sa panahong di niya inaasahan. The rich man’s brothers sadly were in danger of not being convinced to act on the invitation to love others. It is, however, not yet too late for us to “pursue righteousness” (1 Timothy 6:11) and to “take hold of eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:12) as Paul urges Timothy to do! Let us pursue righteousness! Let us take every opportunity that comes our way to do good for those in need among our brothers and sisters. Kakayanin pa natin magbago habang tayo ay may buhay at bago bumalik ng mag-uli si Hesukristo. Sa araw na iyon, tayong lahat ay huhusgahan ng banal na hukom at gaya nung mayaman sa kuwento ay maitatakda na ang ating kalalagyan sa kawalang hanggan.
Today, we are asked, “Who are the people at our doorstep who like Lazarus need our attention, our patience, our smile, our forgiveness, our love?” Sometimes we might be surprised by who is lying at our doorstep. Baka nga wala sila sa labas ng ating tahanan kundi mga mismong kasama natin sa bahay… Let us ask Jesus for the grace to be sensitive to the needs of our neighbour and, regardless of our status in life, to have the generosity of spirit to give of what we have to uplift the lives of the poor.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 