Scripture Reflection - September 28, 2025

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Who is Lazarus Among Us Today?

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is not simply about wealth and poverty, but for people of faith, it is about awareness and unawareness. The rich man did not see Lazarus at his gate—his eyes and heart were closed, even though Lazarus was right in front of him. His sin was not active cruelty but passive indifference. He failed to care for Lazarus, a poor beggar, a metaphor for all our needy sisters and brothers.

Who is Lazarus among us today—the ones we walk past, scroll past, or block out of our sight? They are the migrant workers who labor invisibly so we can enjoy comfort and convenience. They are refugees at our borders, fleeing violence and hunger, too often greeted not with compassion but with suspicion. They are the homeless sleeping on city sidewalks, the elderly alone in nursing homes, and the addicts we avoid eye contact with. They are also those beyond our borders—families in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti—lives too easily dismissed as “not our problem.”

Jesus’ radical call is not to care only for those we find innocent or worthy, not just those who think like us, look like us, or pray like us. Christ’s call is to care for every human life, because every human being bears the image of God. Our culture thrives on dualisms—us and them, innocent and guilty, deserving and undeserving, the radical left and the reactionary right. Demonizing people and groups for political gain is an ancient practice that has infiltrated not only our public discourse but also our personal conversations. Jesus does not divide in this way. At Christ’s table, there are no outsiders, enemies, nor leftovers.

The challenge of this parable is as powerful in our context as it was in first-century Palestine. Who is Lazarus among us today? Will we walk past Lazarus, or will we open our eyes to Christ in the poor at our gate?

Sr. Terry Rickard, OP