Lenten Sermon@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!
Thursday, Second Week of Lent B (March 4/2021)
Your Daily Blessing: May God ever bless you with the means to be a blessing to others. Amen.
Read Jer. 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31 pray Psalm 40[39].
NARRATION: I questioned yesterday why some people are not in touch with the ‘wickedness’ of their evil actions. Today, you see that in the action of this rich man. He never ‘noticed’ the sufferings of Lazarus while he feasted in his house. Now does it surprise you that he has the effrontery to ask Father Abraham to send the same Lazarus to bring him water to quench his taste?
This story warn us, particularly the rich, that your greatest challenge in affluence is how you treat those you consider BELOW you. It is not just about giving something material! It is about ATTITUDE.
Here in Nigeria, some rich people think it makes them MORE to deliberately IGNORE or INSULT those below them. That does not show ‘class’ but poor upbringing. As for material help, some ask, father, how many will I be able to help in the midst of so much poverty? My simple answer is this: God brings your own Lazarus very close. That is why he came to Dives’ house.
These days, technology has brought some even closer! So what do we do with all the needs in the world around us? Abroad, some prefer to give to organized charity or institutions. Some invest in a cause they believe in, or give support for education or projects that change positively the story of a people. All these are ways we help build a better society. Rich Nigerians need to begin to pay attention to this Lazarus.
In the end, the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Dives) is a LIVING STORY because it is about looking around you to see what you can do to make a difference in people’s lives.
For the rich, start with evaluating how you treat the “helpless helpers” under your charge (nannies, houseboys, drivers, menial workers). Our dailies show that some of these are treated worse than slaves!.
As a priest-fundraiser, I have received my share of humiliations from the rich. It made me realize what poor helpless folks serving some of them go through. Whatever you do, just make sure you have no Lazarus you are ignoring at your gate!
PRAYER: Dear Lord, please help me see the wisdom in looking around me to see what I could do to change lives. Grant me the generosity to do the needful always. Amen
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