My Dear People,

 Today’s reading is about a rich young man who celebrated splendidly every day. He dressed like a king and had many banquets. He did not do anything for the poor man Lazarus [which is short for Eleazar] whose wounds were licked by the dogs and who longed for the scraps of the table but did not receive any.  When this rich man died, he went to the place of torment. When he saw Lazarus with Abraham, he wanted him to relieve him briefly from that torment. Lazarus, who in his life had many tribulations, now was at peace with God. On the other hand, the rich man, who enjoyed his life in sumptuous living and did not do any penance or take care of the less fortunate, was now in torment. The reversal of the rich man’s fortune was not the consequence of a lack of moral rectitude; it resulted from his indifference to the needs of the covenant brother who lay at the gate of his home.  He thought since Lazarus knew him, he could do him the favor of briefly relieving him of his torment. That was impossible. Then he wanted the rest of his family to know about the torment if someone from the dead would tell them. The reply was: they have Moses and the prophet, and even if someone from the dead were to go to them, they wouldn’t listen and repent. This shows that when one sins and remains in his sin, God is not going to hit him over the head so he will have an opportunity to repent. God respects his choice, and there are plenty of opportunities for the individual to repent, all they have to do is follow the teachings of the Church, which they received in religious education classes, especially before First Communion and Confirmation.

 Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente