Who is this Rich Man?

I recall reading from the Holy Fathers.  Which one in particular I cannot recall.  The identity does not matter—the content does.  In this particular account a monk was speaking with a visitor, who asked him how he fasts and why he fasts.  The old man replied, “I take 100 grams of bread each day (about a quarter pound).  If I were to eat more, I would be stealing from another who is hungry.”

Living in the world as we do, we too easily lose perspective on how we (individually) live as compared with others around the world, others who are in need. 

Not for all of us, but for most of us, our cupboards are stocked with enough to carry us for several days.  If we’re out of milk, the grocery store is not far away, and even though milk is more expensive now that perhaps ever, we have enough resources to get not only what we need, but more than that if we so choose.

RTS, which is a waste management service, has a survey which indicates that Americans waste about 60 million tons of food every year.  We won’t impose the aforementioned monastic’s rigor on all, but if we allowed three meals in a day at 2 pounds of food in total, that 60 million tons could feed 30 million hungry people.  This same RTS survey also suggested an estimate of 35 million Americans (including 10 million children) suffer from “food insecurity”.  In short, if the waste could be turned into resource, we could wipe out hunger in our country!

In one of today’s Gospel readings we encounter again Lazarus and ‘the rich man’.  Note carefully that our Lord gives the suffering man’s name—Lazarus.  The name Lazarus means ‘God has helped.’  Our Lord does not call the rich man by name.  God does not “remember” his name!  This is the meaning of our prayer for departed souls, “May his (her) memory be eternal!”, asking that the person be found in God’s Book of Life, ever remembered by Him!

Within the meaning of Lazarus’ name, we find yet more teaching.  The images to be found in pondering ‘God has helped’ are multiple.  Lazarus suffered in this life, but still fell under God’s providential care, being led to a place where, when his soul was called for, he was found worthy to be gathered with the sheep, with the righteous.  After death, God has helped by placing Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom.

This is diametrically opposed to the condition of the rich man, who with his fine clothes and sumptuous eating was united in this world not to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, but he was shackled to the dust of this earth, to which he then returned—without God knowing afterwards who he was, not to be found in God’s eternal memory.

Who is this “Rich Man”?

He is me.  I am him.  God knows the names of all those people who I regularly pass by without ever noticing or recognizing their need.  But when it comes to that day when He speaks the word and calls for my soul to part from my body, will He remember me?  And more to the point, what must I do in the here and now to change from one who is absorbed with self to one who lives selflessly, living for those who have no bread, both physically and spiritually.  For my Lord has called me (and He is calling all of us) to care for “the least of His brethren” in whatever needs they have for which He has given us talents and resources over and above that necessary to supply our own “need” - not want, NEED!