Ignoring the Poor-Guarding Against Greed and Anxiety

In the parable of the rich and Lazarus, Jesus talked about the eternal destiny of both the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man ended up in Hades and Lazarus went to heaven in the bosom of Father Abraham. 

Lazarus had suffered a difficult life on earth in poverty and illness. The rich man on the other hand enjoyed a luxurious life and chose to ignore poor Lazarus who laid at the gates of his house. 

The parable never mentioned that the rich was a bad person or that Lazarus was a holy man. The rich man grave sin however was that he ignored poor Lazarus while enjoying life. 

Dear friends, we may be enjoying life but are we ignoring the less fortunate. This is an important issue we may be guilty of in a materialistically self-centered culture. The consequences of ignoring the poor are grave. 

We ought to help others not out of obligation but out of love. We ought to care for our needy brothers and sisters in humanity. God wants us to love each other. Our relationship with Him is tied to our relationship to each other. The more we love God, the more we would love our neighbor. It is a direct relationship. Take advantage of every opportunity God puts your way to help someone. Don’t give yourselves excuses. The path to hades is paved with excuses. Even better look yourselves for opportunities to help others. 

May God bless you.