When We Are Overwhelmed by Life: Lazarus and the Rich Man

Luke 16:19-31: One of the most striking parts of today’s parable of poor Lazarus and the Rich man, the dives, is the way the rich man, even in the afterlife, still speaks of the poor man as a servant who is supposed to do his bidding: “Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue.” He needs help, he has never really helped himself or helped overs. But when we step back, we see that both men are quite overwhelmed by life. Lazarus struggles to survive with his poverty and sores, the rich man goes on hardened among all that luxury piling over in his face. Both are overwhelmed in different ways, and we too get overwhelmed. What to do with this feeling? A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai, on September 25, the 26th week of Ordinary Time. Preached in Lyncroft Centre in Toronto. Music: Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), Soledad, arranged for guitar by Bert Alink Thumbnail: Lazarus and Dives,” fol. 78r from the Codex Aureus of Echternach, ca. 1035–40. German National Museum, Nuremberg.