Luke 16:19-31
Holy Trinity as a Model of Love
by Rev. Jack Peterson YA
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic
Herald"
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Written to explain that
Christ came to save everyone.
Jesus
said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and
fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a
poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill
of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come
and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels
to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from
the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far
off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity
on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My
child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while
Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas
you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is
established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side
to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn
them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied,
'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen them.' He said,
'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
I
would like to begin today by taking a step back and remembering a fundamental
truth of our Christian faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
teaches: "The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian
faith and life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is therefore
the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.
It is the most fundamental and essential teaching the 'hierarchy of the truths
of faith'" (No. 234).
Jesus revealed that the Holy Trinity
is a community of persons in an eternal relationship of love. Look for instance
at the Father’s love for the Son. At Jesus’ baptism, the voice of the Father
from the heavens proclaims: “This is my beloved Son, on whom my favor rests.
Listen to Him” (Mk 1:11). At the Last Supper, Jesus stated: “As the father has
loved me, so I have loved you” (Jn 15: 6).
Take
notice of the Son’s love for the Father. “If you loved me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the father; the father is greater than I” (Jn 14:28). Toward
the end of His earthly journey, Jesus said: “Father, the hour has come. Give
glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you” (Jn 17:1). To Philip, Jesus
exclaims: “How can you say, ‘Show us the father?’ Do you not believe that I am
in the father and the father is in me?” (Jn 14:9-10).
Finally,
we understand that the Holy Spirit is the love that proceeds from the Father and
the Son, bringing life to the world. Jesus reveals to us just before He departs
from this world, “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For
if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him
to you” (Jn 16:7). The Holy Spirit enables us to call upon the Father with
childlike familiarity: “The spirit upon coming to us enables us to cry out,
‘Abba!’ (Father)” (Gal 4:6). Finally, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the
Advocate and states: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the
Father, the spirit of truth that proceeds from the father, he will testify to
me” (Jn 15: 26).
There
is a fascinating pattern in how the three persons of the Holy Trinity love. Each
of the three persons refers constantly to the other. True love is constantly
focused on the good of the other. God made us in His image and likeness, to
share in His very life and love. God made us to follow His way of being and
relating. He made us to love radically, totally and sacrificially.
In
contrast to the true love of God, we have the rich man in today’s Gospel, whom
tradition has given the name Dives. Dives teaches us about two great temptations
posed by wealth. First, money and our pursuit of it can easily distract us from
being aware that all of our good things come from God. Jesus has Abraham
reprimand the rich man: “Remember that you received what was good during your
lifetime … .” In other words, you were quite blessed but you did not properly
grasp the Giver of those gifts and your dependence upon Him. Sure, you may have
been clever, hard-working and industrious, but those gifts came from God as
well.
Secondly,
the pursuit of riches can make us focus on ourselves exclusively — what I have,
what I do not have, what I want to have in 10 years, how much I need to have to
be really happy, etc. Money easily becomes an inordinate attachment that
enslaves our heart, our dreams and our very lives. This slavery keeps us from
seeing our hurting neighbor at our doorstep.
Jesus,
in describing Lazarus, reveals His heart. He describes Lazarus as a poor man,
covered with sores and desiring to eat scraps. He goes on to add that dogs even
used to come and lick his sores. Jesus sees the pain and anguish of the poor and
the sick, and it stirs His heart. In his riches, Dives does not even see Lazarus
suffering at the door to his house.
Jesus
is pretty harsh describing the outcome of this failure to address the needy in
our midst: eternal torment in hell. There are very real consequences for our
actions, especially the sinful ones of which we refuse to repent. This is a
sobering reality that we must all face as children of the Father.
On
the other hand, when our faith is real, we grow to love as God loves. We share
God’s love for the poor, the sick and the outcast. We do not oversee or ignore
those around us who are hurting. Rather, we serve humbly and share the gifts
that God has given us because they were meant to be shared.
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