September 27: Preparing to Celebrate Sunday’s Mass / Preparándonos para Celebrar la Misa Dominical

Before coming to Mass this weekend, be sure to read at least Luke 16, 19-31 (and the readings from the Prophet Amos, Psalm 146, and First Timothy). The story in the Gospel, unique to St. Luke, is remarkable: it is the only parable in all of the parables Jesus told where a character has a name ... and what a name it is! “Lazarus” means “God is my helper.”

Meanwhile, the rich man in the parable has no name – inviting us into the story, into his character, and into his experience. He is really something. In spite of how his life has ended and where he is, in the realm of the dead, he just doesn’t seem to get it. Look at his behavior and how he talks. He speaks to Abraham as though Abraham is his peer. Also, in spite of his situation, he thinks Lazarus is his servant. He wants Abraham to send Lazarus first to serve him with a drink of water, and then when Abraham refuses, he comes back again with the preposterous proposal that Lazarus should leave his comfortable place and go to his brothers who still remain behind. Again, this guy just doesn’t get it at all.

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Worth noting: The rich man in the parable is not condemned because he is rich. He ends up in torment because he thought he “called the shots,” he was in control, and everything he had was his. Similarly,  Lazarus is not in blessed comfort in the bosom of Abraham because he was poor. He is rests in blessed comfort because he never forgot that God was his helper. Do we have anything to learn from these two men? How could we not!

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Antes de venir a Misa el domingo, será buena idea leer las lecturas que la Iglesia nos va a ofrecer. Por ejemplo, en su Primera carta a San Timoteo, San Pablo nos va a llamar a que vivamos sinceramente la personal búsqueda de Dios, procurando ser justos y religiosos – velando por la fe y luchando por ella, teniendo ante la vista el fin de los tiempos.

En específico, para estar preparados y no caer en la indolencia, San Pablo exhorta a San Timoteo y a nosotros a mantenernos firmes en la fe y en la doctrina que nos ha enseñado el Apóstol de los gentiles. Después de haber sido ordenado como pastor de la comunidad (San Timoteo), escuchamos todo un catálogo de virtudes, indispensables para ser un buen servidor del Evangelio.

En la época de San Pablo y San Timoteo, el culto a los emperadores estaba muy extendido. Quizá por eso Pablo hace un alegato en favor de Jesús, el bienaventurado y único Soberano, Rey de los reyes, y Señor de los señores, capaz de dar la verdadera alegría y la salvación a todos los que le sean fieles. En nuestro tiempo, tan dado a las idolatrías, este recordatorio no nos viene mal.

A nosotros, cada día, se nos da la oportunidad de encontrarnos con la Palabra de Dios, para escucharla, meditarla y hacerla vida. Siempre estamos a tiempo.