2nd THURSDAY IN LENT - Gospel (Luke16:19-31) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
FIRST READING - Jer 17:5-10
"Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord."
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah
5 Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 He is like a barren bush in the wasteland
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in lava beds in the wilderness,
a land, salty and uninhabited.
7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord;
the Lord will be their trust.
8 They are like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still produces fruit.
9 More tortuous than anything is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, explore the mind
and test the heart,
Giving to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their deeds.
TIN MỪNG: Lc 16,19-31
"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."
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
19 “There was a rich man[a] who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. 20 And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 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. 22 When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and from the netherworld,[b] where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 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.’ 25 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. 26 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.’ 27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 30 [c]He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 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.’”
2nd THURSDAY IN LENT - Gospel (Luke16:19-31)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
In today's Word of God, God calls all humanity to pause in life, to slow down, and to stay close to Him so that He may enlighten, guide, and teach us what is necessary to do to attain the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, and what are the dark deeds that come from the temptation of Satan.
As in today's Word of God, Jesus Christ presented the parable on the rich man and the poor man Lazarus.
This story is very realistic both in the past and today.
It is not an unreal fable, but something very real in today's world where there is a great disparity between the rich and the poor.
The rich person here is presented by God the Father as a warning to those who are obsessed with material wealth, money, partying, indulgence, sensual pleasures, and worldly satisfactions, forgetting God and forgetting their blessed share in the Kingdom of Heaven.
What will become of their soul's salvation later on if they do not bother to do good deeds of virtue, charity, love, giving, and service, but only care about pleasure, enjoyment, accumulating and enriching themselves with worldly possessions.
These things will not bring eternal life to people in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Wake up! O all children of God who are falling into the same situation as the rich man.
If you only place God above forty, fifty, or sixty percent, how can you please God the Father!
Gather all things absolutely to God, turn towards Him; everything must be done according to God's holy will.
If God says to love, then love; if to forgive, then forgive; if to sacrifice, then sacrifice; if to be patient, then be patient; if to be gentle, then be gentle; if to be humble, then be humble; if to fear and worship Him, then fear and worship Him.
Do not intertwine worldly money and material possessions with the worship of God anymore!
Only God is the master of all. If God does not grant it, then humans can do nothing! If God does not give eternal life, then humans cannot have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
All that God the Father allows to exist or to live in this world should reconcile with God, abide in Him, come to Him, listen to Him, and practice His Word which teaches them to love, to fear God, to repent of sin, to avoid occasions of sin, to follow God's holy commands, and not to follow the temptations of lustful desires, worldly money and material possessions, and worldly pleasures.
Reject them, eliminate them, lest it be too late to regret, like the rich man in today's Word of God.
While there is still time in this world, live and act according to God's holy commands; follow the holy commands given by God the Father.
Do not hesitate anymore, do not wait until you are sick and lying on a hospital bed, or until you are old, to fast, to pray, to sacrifice, to repent and atone for sins.
There will be no more time! He will come to call the soul from the body, to call it out of this world unexpectedly, for no one knows how their death will be!
Therefore, today's Word of God teaches humanity that while still living in this world, for every day remaining, do good before God the Father on that day; do not hesitate anymore, do not wait until you are old, sick, or ill, to begin fasting, by then it may already be too late.
Just as this rich man died unexpectedly while being wealthy, indulging, enjoying, accumulating worldly material possessions for himself, calculating his time for enjoyment, but little did he know about the day when the Lord came to call his soul from his body, to call him out of this world unexpectedly, and at that time, only the soul would face the righteousness, justice, and fairness of God the Father.
The soul will have to atone for sins eternally in purgatory or in eternal hellfire.
Awaken again! O children of God!
Do not live in the lustful passions of this world any longer!
Abandon them, reject them and return to Him, to be with God, so that He may strengthen you, heal you, cleanse you, wash away the thorns, the sins, the impurities, the foulness, the filth of the world, of Satan so that the soul may be healed, so that the body may be united with the soul and dwell in the bosom of God the Father.
The time has come for every person, every soul, to abandon the world and return to reconcile with Him!
Furthermore, God the Father also shows humanity in today's world the image of a poor, destitute Lazarus on this earth.
He was poor in body, but rich in spirit; being rich in a spirit means having God, which no one can take away.
When God is present within someone, they will have peace and happiness, not only in this life but also in the afterlife, eternally, which no one can take away.
Today, humanity should wisely choose God.
To have God is to have everything.
To have God is to have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
To be within Him, in Him, with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven in this life and the next is like the image of that poor Lazarus.
Today's Word of God calls humanity in this Holy Lenten Season to cast aside passions, sins, pleasures, and feasting for sacrifice, fasting, prayer, living charitably and lovingly; Today's Word of God also calls humans to fear God and come to Him, to reconcile with Him, so that He may cleanse sins right here on earth, and to live a peaceful and happy life with God the Father in this life and the next.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Comments