The Seasons: A Poem

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Sunrise over Amazing Grasses Family Farm The mad Artist wields His brush, Painted colors rush, To life and give flush, Before the quiet autumn hush. The life seems to pour, As colors fall to the floor, To be seen no more, Outside the dark, grey door. Brightness from below, Sun upon the snow, High, cold clouds blow, Flakes and ice appear to grow. The man melts with little seen, Underneath, pale, grey green, Hides life in dark unseen, Waits for warmth and to careen. Buds on branches show, Patience starts to grow, Trickles, streams and veins flow, Bringing fruits of melted snow. Sprung to life it springs, Bees, birds, sound rings, Lush green flings, Its gift bounty brings. Green growth gives one last rush, Underneath the Painter's brush. The mad Artist wields His brush, before the quiet autumn hush. More poetry is available from James M. Hahn in  The Last Dragon and Other Poems  available now. My new book of cryptogram puzzles " Secret Messages from the Saints " is avai
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Am I my brother's keeper?

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Luke 16: 19-31

Today's Gospel is one of those that really gets under my skin and makes me squirm. Here we have a man who is condemned to hell not for what he did but for what he failed to do. Like those who are given to eternal punishment in the 25th chapter of Matthew for not seeing Christ in the least of their brothers, this rich man is condemned for looking past his brother on his own doorstep.

Too often I think that as long as I am free from mortal sin I am in good shape spiritually. This isn't incorrect but in my mind too often I think of mortal sins as sins of commission not sins of omission. Yet here, in the words of Our Lord in Luke and in Matthew, I see that many will perish in the eternal fire for their sins of omission, for what they failed to do.

Why is this rich man's sin of omission so serious? In order for a sin to be deadly or mortal or to kill the life of God in our souls it must first deal with grave matter. Here we are dealing with the life of another person. If I ask, "am I my brother's keeper" I must remember who spoke those words in the beginning.

The second requirement for a sin to be mortal is that there must be full knowledge that it is wrong. The rich man knew. Notice that he doesn't argue that he didn't know. He admits that he had full knowledge but chose to ignore it by saying that his brothers are doing the same thing. The rich man had full knowledge that his disregard for Lazarus was wrong and went against everything he had heard from Moses and the prophets.

The third requirement for a sin to be mortal is deliberate consent. In other words, he knew this omission, this failure to help Lazarus was a serious matter and he failed to fulfill his duty anyway.

Today's Gospel is a firm reminder that we are responsible for others.  It's a reminder that sins of omission are just as spiritually deadly as sins of commission.  Perhaps they are even more so since we tend to look past these sins.  It's not someone else's job to take care of the hungry. It's not some faceless organization's job to do what Christ has commanded me to do. Commanded me to do!  That is another thing to think about.  Jesus did not command me to write a check, drop a few bucks in a basket, or offer an online gift.  These are all great things but I truly believe we need to go deeper.

Jesus wanted the rich man to give Lazarus food not write a check to the homeless shelter.  He wanted him to take food from his table and share it with Lazarus, not send Lazarus down the road to a government assistance office.  Even if Lazarus was dirty, smelly, and full of sores, he is still made in the image and likeness of God and worthy of our love and respect.  As Pope Benedict XVI said, it is, for those of us who have so much, a matter of justice first before it is a matter of charity. I truly am my brother's keeper.

"It was not poverty that led Lazarus to heaven, but humility; nor was it wealth that prevented the rich man from attaining eternal rest but rather his egoism and his infidelity." - Saint Gregory the Great

"The rich man was condemned because he did not pay attention to the other man, because he failed to take notice of Lazarus, the person who sat at his door and who longed to eat the scraps from the table. Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of earthly goods as such. Instead, he pronounces very harsh words against those who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the needs of others..." - Saint John Paul II in Yankee Stadium, October 2, 1979

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