Sunday Meditation: Parables of Lent -- Dives and Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo

Jesus captured the imaginations of his listeners with stories. And how compelling those stories are! This week at daily Mass we heard about the rich man Dives and the poor man Lazarus at his gate sitting there wishing he could eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. One aspect of the story always strikes me hard.

Did Jesus pick the name Lazarus for the poor man by accident? Hardly! Did He do anything by accident? Just think of the conversation between Dives and Father Abraham. "Send Lazarus to my brothers to warn them so they won't end up in this place." Abraham responds, "They have Moses and the prophets." Dives is convinced that isn't enough. They'll repent if someone comes back from the dead. And how does Abraham respond? "If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't believe  EVEN IF SOMEONE RISES FROM THE DEAD! 

How many times did Jesus tell this story? No doubt more than once as he traveled around Judea. And how long was it after He told the story before He raised the dead Lazarus from the tomb? Think of it.