Lenten Moment

Jesus told this story: 
There was a rich man who always wore the finest quality clothes, ate at the best restaurants, and had a very expensive home.  He was no stranger to luxury!  And every day, a poor beggar named Lazarus would come and spend the day at his gates.  Lazarus had nothing, and nothing had him.  He was always hungry, and because he hardly ate anything, he was always very sick.   
    One day, Lazarus died... and his spirit was lifted to heaven to be with Abraham and the angels.  Not long after, the rich man died, and his soul went to the place of the dead.  There, tormented, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
    The rich man shouted so they could hear - "Father Abraham, please have mercy on me!  Send Lazarus over to me bring me just a little water... I'm so very thirsty!"
     But Abraham said, "I'm sorry... In life, you had anything you wanted. But Lazarus had virtually nothing.  So now he's here... and you're there.  And even if I want to send someone there to you, I couldn't - there's a huge chasm separating us. No one from here can go there, and no one from there can come here."
    "Please, Father Abraham", said the rich man... "at least send someone to warn my five brothers!  I don't want them to end up where I am!"  
   But Abraham said, "Moses and the prophets have already warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote."
   "No, Father Abraham, that's not good enough!  If you send someone back from the dead, I know this will convince them to change their lives and turn to God!" 
     But Abraham said, "If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they're not going to listen to anyone who comes back from the dead either."   

I'm sure you've heard this story before.  And I'm sure you've had a reaction to this story.   I remember asking what this rich man did to be sent to what seems to be hell.  And what did Lazarus do.. besides being poor... that would merit his going to heaven?  

In isolation it seems there's a huge class-thing going here --  Good poor people, and evil rich people.   In isolation, there isn't much to go on in this story.    But in the bigger picture - Jesus spends a lot of time talking about justice; economic justice, social justice, religious justice.   It's in this context that the Lazarus story makes more sense.    
Jesus says what the prophets before him said --  
          If you want to worship God... with your whole heart and soul... don't forget to do good work in the world... 
         and this means making yourself responsible for the marginalized.... 
                   the easily rejected...   
                            the forgotten
                                      "The orphans
                                                      and 
                                                             The widows..."
           
This is classic "prophet" talk.      
      The "Orphans and Widows" were some of the most marginalized people because they had one man to care for them.   

In that era, men were the ones who had the means to provide for their families.       
     Women couldn't do it - they weren't allowed to earn a living like that, for the most part.... and neither could children.                                     

So they became some of the most vulnerable.

And Jesus' message was strong and clear:  
      Live your faith!    Worship God...    not only in word, but through action!
   
So, in that context here comes the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man...   The poor man has a name - but the rich man isn't named.     
    
         The poor are named!    

            The poor have a name.    

               The vulnerable have names...