Sunday Sept. 25, 2016: 26th Sunday “Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.”

Gospel – Lk 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 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.'”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” — Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek—because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into “Abraham’s bosom”: “It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham’s bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.” Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.

1021  Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul—a destiny which can be different for some and for others.

From “The Door to Heaven” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (DH-11:1-9)

1) … Tolerate offences against you for the love of Me, the love of your brethren and the love of yourselves because all the good or bad you do is done for yourselves or against yourselves.

2) All of you, have pity for those who hurt you, have compassion for their sins; if they behave well, offer it to Me, if they behave badly, pray for them and try to help them. When someone tries to compete with you, lose if you want to win. The road to salvation is the road that leads you to lose in this life. … If someone offends you, bear it with patience for My love and for the forgiveness of your sins. Do not offend anybody else, but bear it patiently without complaint!

3) You are blessed; do not expect rewards on earth. … Remember that saints do good and suffer evil. It is much better to suffer and bear an offence with patience than to fast and to be mortified. What merit would there be in fasting and later to ask justice for an offence, whether it be true or false?

4) … Look at yourselves and work continuously within you, on you and for you, looking for spiritual consolation. … In the same way that good can turn into evil, evil can also turn into something good.

5) Therefore, do not look for justice or to be compensated when someone has committed an injustice or offence against you. They have sinned and have the right to be purified. The sooner you accept patience, the less you will suffer and you will be saved. Do not look for compensation or consolation from anyone under Heaven.

6) The enemies of the soul try hard to upset you when you bear things patiently or act by fighting insults with kindness. You are being saved and they want you to live in their own displeasure. Anything that men do, they do to themselves; so be compassionate with those people.

7) …My Father does not bestow His graces upon the proud, but upon the humble! To be revered, you will be accused, and you must first achieve humility, which is what destroys evil and is the enemy of sin.

8)… Pray, endure, fight against vices; make a conscious effort to not look for answers in your favor. Look to Heaven so that I may defend you through My humility. Prayer is the beginning and the fulfillment of goodness.

9)… I humble Myself permanently before My Father to teach you the truth! At times My words may seem harsh to you, but remember that My Life is your pathway. I am your crown and it is only through patience that you walk towards Me…

Each week we will be presenting a portion of the following Sunday’s readings, and linking it to relevant parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and messages from the Testimony of Catalina. Pay special attention to the italicized sections. This week we consider “Who will be first or last, humility and God’s Will.” We hope this is inspiring and educational. Any comments you have are certainly welcomed.