Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons: September 28th 2025

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Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We hope that the mercy of the All Loving One will be ours at the last, and that this loving gift will forgive our worst sins and embrace us in the fullness of the love beyond our comprehension when we are welcomed into the fullness of the Kingdom. At least that is my own prayer and hope! But at the back of my mind I think of human wickedness and cruelty, actions that are outrageous and people whose defiant acceptance of the dark ways of life seem incorrigible.

There are some it seems who do not repent, nor feel as we do, it is these persons who are defiant and refuse our forgiveness let alone God's. I am not so unfeeling as to imagine that even these are cut of from the desire of the Most High to draw them into that place of mercy, but the question is there. Are there some who will not accept the invitation of the Gospel even if they only know it as love in human terms?

This is perhaps where I pause in the parable of Lazarus and the very rich man.

It is a stark parable, bold in its narrative, unforgiving in its storyline. Lazarus suffers badly. Covered with sores his only consolation is the kindness of the dogs who minister to him, whilst humans, particularly the rich man, ignore him, cut him from their vision-make him if you will less than the dogs, a nobody, a nothing, just a disgusting heap of flesh and rags.

Is this too graphically fanciful? I think not, for you and I ignore many Lazarus's in our lives. There are many people and creatures we push to the back of our consciousness because we do not want to have our complacency disturbed, our lives upended. For some of thee things we can be forgiven, but in life there will always be one or two Lazarus figures that will demand our response, and it is they we must always be ready to receive as angels in disguise, the Christ in others.

Looking at the story of Lazarus it it after death that something happens, his story, like ours reaches its earthly end and it is at that point he receives a reward far beyond human expectations. There is a total reversal here-for the destitute and poor Lazarus enters into the reward of eternal riches, in that he is welcomed fully into the Kingdom, but for the wealthy man there is the torment of Hades.

As with last weeks parable of the unjust steward, we must resist the temptation to spiritualise the meaning it has for us. Jesus is quite unequivocal, what we do in this life matters, how we treat others and how we use wealth will determine our final destiny. There cannot be any way we are able to turn around the warning of Jesus in those final words between Abraham and the rich man : ' 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.'(Lk 16:30,31) It is a salutary reflection on wealth and possessions, but we would do well to heed it!

Lectio Divina

From a discourse of John Chrysostom on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Taking all this, therefore, into consideration, beloved, think those blessed, not who live in wealth, but in virtue; think those miserable, not those who live in poverty, but in wickedness: let us look not at the present, but at the future; let us examine, not the outward appearance, but the conscience of each man; and following after the virtue and the bliss of right actions, let us, whether we be wealthy or poor, emulate Lazarus. He endured not one, nor two, nor three, but many tests of his goodness. These tests were his poverty, his weakness, his lack of helpers, his suffering these evils in a place where there was at hand the means of complete relief, while no one vouchsafed a word of comfort, his seeing him who disregarded him possessing all that abundance, and not only possessing abundance, but living in wickedness, and suffering no ill; also, his being able to look to no other Lazarus, and his being unable to console himself by the thought of the resurrection. And besides all the aforesaid ills, there was his having to bear an ill-character among many, for the very reason that he was a sufferer. There was, not only for two or three days, but for his whole life, the seeing himself in such circumstances, and the rich man in the very opposite.

What excuse, therefore, shall we have if, while this man bore all these excessive evils with such fortitude, we cannot bear even the half of them? for you are unable----you are unable, I say, to show, or even to name, any man who has borne such numerous and heavy evils. For this cause, therefore, Christ brought them before our notice, in order that whensoever we fall into trouble, seeing in his case the exceeding greatness of his affliction, we may, from his wisdom and patience, gain effectual consolation and comfort; for he is set as a general instructor of the whole world, for all who are suffering any kind of distress; enabling all to look to one who surpassed them all in the exceeding greatness of his woes.

For all these things, therefore, let us give thanks unto God----the merciful God; let us reap the benefit of this narrative, continually bearing it in mind, in the assembly, at home, in the market, yea everywhere; and let us diligently gain all the wealth of wisdom contained in this parable, in order that we may without grief pass through evils, and that we may attain the good things in store. Which benefits may we all be enabled to gain, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be praise, honour, adoration, now and ever, even to all eternity. Amen.

An Ancient English Folk Song

Diversus and Lazarus

As it fell out upon a day
Rich Diversus made a feast.
And he invited all his friends
And the gentry of the best.

Then Lazarus laid him down and down,
Laid him down at Diversus door.
"Some meat, some drink, my brother Diversus
Will you bestow upon the poor."

"Thou art none of my brothers, Lazarus,
That lies begging at my door.
No meat nor drink will I give to thee, Lazarus,
Nor bestow upon the poor."

Diversus sent his men
To whip poor Lazarus away.
But they had no power to strike a stroke
But flung their whips away.

Diversus sent his hungry dogs
To bite him as he lay.
But they had no power to bite
But licked his sores away.

It fell out upon a day
Poor Lazarus grew sick and died.
There came two angels out of heaven above,
His souls thereto to guide.

"Rise up, rise up, my brother Lazarus,
And you come along with me.
There is a place prepared in heaven
Upon an Angel's knee."

And it fell out upon a day
Rich Diversus sickened and died.
There came a serpent out of hell,
His souls thereto to guide.

"Rise up, rise up, my evil brother,
Won't you come along with me.
There is a place prepared in hell
Upon a serpent's knee."

If I were alive again,
In the space of one half hour
I would make my peace secure
And take the devil's power.