26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 28,
2025
Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31
Theme: What We Should Do to Avoid the Torment of Hell
A. A
Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 16:19-31
1. Historical
and Literary Contexts
Luke recounts two parables in chapter 16: the
dishonest steward (vv. 1-13) and our parable, the rich man and Lazarus (vv.
19-31). Through these two parables, Luke highlights his concern about Jesus’
attitude toward the rich and the poor. Three isolated sayings, specifically
against the Pharisees (vv. 14-15), about the Law (vv. 16-17), and divorce (v.
18), separate these two parables. The story of Jesus’ warning about the
temptation to sin (17:1-4), which begins chapter 17, immediately follows our
Gospel passage.
2. Form, Structure, and Movement
This Gospel story features a parable that can be
divided into three parts. The narrator first describes the rich man and Lazarus
(vv. 19-22), then outlines the two main topics of the conversation between the
rich man and Abraham: the torment of the rich man in the netherworld (vv.
23-26), and this rich man’s concerns about his five brothers who are still
alive (vv. 27-31).
3. Detailed Analysis
Vv. 19-22. Luke describes the rich man and Lazarus
in two phases. First, before their deaths, the rich man is portrayed as a
wealthy person who did not care for the needy, and Lazarus is depicted as a
poor person who did not receive help from this greedy rich man. Second, after
their deaths, the rich man experiences everlasting torment in the netherworld
while Lazarus, carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham, enjoys eternal
heavenly life in God’s kingdom. The netherworld, contrasted with heaven here, means
hell. This reversal of the outcomes fulfills Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on
the Plain (Lk 6:20-21, 24-25).[1]
Vv. 23-26. From hell, where he endures torment, the
rich man begins a conversation with Abraham, who is on the other side, in
heaven, enjoying eternal life with Lazarus. His first request to Abraham is to
send Lazarus to help him. Through Abraham’s response, Luke first shows his
audience that eternal punishment in hell and eternal salvation in heaven are
the logical results of how believers live their lives during their earthly
existence. Second, once a person is condemned to hell or granted eternal salvation
in heaven, their fate can no longer be changed.
Vv. 27-31. After he realizes that his punishment in
hell is a result of his sins and that his fate can no longer be changed, this
wealthy man becomes concerned about his five living brothers. His second
request to Abraham is to send Lazarus to warn his brothers so they do not join
him in this torment someday. In response, Abraham refers to “Moses and the
prophets,” whom these brothers should listen to. In biblical language, the
phrase “Moses and the prophets” is used as a synonym for the Jewish Bible. The
rich man believes that a warning from someone from the dead will be more
convincing than the “Word of God” in persuading his brothers to repent. Here
Luke teaches that this “Someone from the dead” is Jesus, who died, rose, and is
alive; and the Sacred Scripture is his Word. Therefore, listening to the Bible
is listening to Jesus.
4. Synthesis
Through the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
Luke teaches his readers two lessons. First, eternal condemnation in hell and
eternal salvation in heaven result from the lives that believers live during
their lifetime, and these outcomes cannot be changed once they are in hell or
heaven. Second, to avoid the torment of hell, believers should listen to the
Word of God and repent.
B. Pastoral Implications
1. Liturgical
Context
In
the Gospel, the rich man in the parable ends up in hell, suffering torment
because he neglected the poor Lazarus during his lifetime. In the first
reading, the prophet Amos warns the wealthy of his time that they will be the
first to be deported into exile because of their complacency, thinking only of
themselves and ignoring the poor. To avoid ending up like these rich people
from the Gospel and the first reading, Luke invites us in the Gospel to listen
to “Moses and the prophets,” meaning to listen to Jesus, who speaks to us in
the Scriptures, and Saint Paul, in our second reading, advises us to pursue
righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
2.
What the Church Teaches Us Today
Luke tells us that, from the netherworld where he is
suffering torment, the rich man makes two requests to Abraham. In his first
request, he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to help him. Abraham reminds him that
his torment is the result of his sinful life, while Lazarus’s enjoyment in
heaven is the result of his faithfulness despite his poverty during their
lifetimes. Moreover, a great chasm has been established between hell and
heaven, preventing anyone from crossing. Here, our Holy Mother Church reminds us
that eternal condemnation in hell and eternal salvation in heaven result from
the lives we lead now, and these outcomes can no longer change. Therefore, let
us avoid sins and live according to the Church’s teachings.
In his second request, the rich man worries about
his five brothers still alive. He asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them, so
they do not end up like him in hell. He believes that a warning from someone
from the dead will prompt them to repent. In response, Abraham tells him that
his brothers have “Moses and the prophets,” and they should listen to them.
Note that in biblical language, this phrase “Moses and the prophets” is used as
a synonym for the Jewish Bible. Also, Jesus, who died and rose from the dead,
is considered “someone from the dead,” whom this rich man refers to. Here, the
Church teaches us that we should listen to Jesus by reading and hearing his
Word in the Bible if we want to escape the torment of hell after our earthly
life.
The rich man in the Gospel reflects the wealthy
people that the prophet Amos condemns in our first reading. Notice that Amos
tells this story during the time when the Assyrian armies conquered Israel in
the late eighth century BC. In today’s passage, the prophet blames the leaders
of Israel, whom he calls “complacent,” because they indulge in luxurious
living, ignore their covenant duty to help the needy, and neglect the fall of “Joseph”
(see Amos 6:6). “Joseph” refers to one of the Jewish tribes and symbolically
represents the people of Israel. The passage concludes by warning them that
they will be the first to go into exile, ending their prosperous lifestyle. We
cannot claim we are unaffected by Amos’ warning since we are not as wealthy as
these leaders of Israel. It’s important to recognize that Amos’ message is
God’s word for wealthy people across all times and cultures who ignore God and
the poor. Today, we also face the danger of complacency, especially since many
of us are relatively protected from civil war, poverty, and hunger. Do we
consider how many people in developing countries, inner cities, or even our own
towns lack even a tenth of what we have? The warnings from the Gospel and the
first reading should awaken us and motivate us to help those in need.
Saint Paul, in our second reading, urges us to avoid
“all this,” referring to the love of riches like that of the rich man in our
Gospel and the leaders of Israel in the first reading, which leads us to ruin
and destruction (see 1 Tim 6:3-10, the passage right before our second
reading). Instead, he reminds us of our baptismal duty, which involves pursuing
righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness (1 Tim 6:11). He
also encourages us to compete well for the faith and to keep God’s commandment
without stain or reproach until Jesus comes again at the end of time (1 Tim
6:14).
May
the liturgy of this Mass inspire us to be generous to those in need today, to
continually read and listen to the Bible, and to always remember our baptismal
responsibility. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment