Two men are contrasted in today's Gospel: the unnamed rich man, and the poor man, Lazarus. The rich man dresses in purple as a sign of his wealth and power; Lazarus is in rags, covered with sores licked by dogs. Two could not be more opposite. Yet, it is the poor man who enjoys eternal bliss in the bosom of Abraham, and the rich man is reduced to a beggar, pleading for a drop of water to slake his thirst. Externals do not always reveal the whole truth.
So it is with the homeless or penniless who wander the streets of our cities or who find meals and shelter with such agencies as Lazarus House (fittingly named) or Core Unum (One Heart) who serve the Lazaruses of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Other cities have their counterparts. These agencies see beyond the faces standing before them, welcome them, feed, clothe and shelter them as brothers and sisters. We might seek to imitate their way of looking at people and see them as contemporary Larzaruses. Not a bad project for Lent and beyond.
Bro. Rene
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