Sep 28th, 2025: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
There were two major league baseball players, a catcher and a pitcher. They were not only good friends but also men of faith. They both loved baseball so much that they could not imagine being happy in heaven if there were no baseball there. So, they made a pact: whoever died first would try to come back and report whether there was baseball in heaven or not.
Shortly after this agreement, the catcher suddenly died and entered his eternal reward. A couple of months later, being a man of his word, he appeared in a dream to his friend.
“I have good news and I have bad news,” he said. “Which do you want to hear first?”
The pitcher responded, “I’ll take the good news.”
“Well, the good news is this: there definitely is baseball in heaven. The field is perfect, the crowd is always supportive, and I play every day.”
“Wonderful,” said his friend. “What’s the bad news?”
“Well, the bad news is—I’m looking at the board posting the players for tomorrow’s game, and you are scheduled to pitch.”
It is going to happen to all of us sooner or later, whether with warning or unexpectedly. We will pass from this life to the next and give an account of the life we have lived. That is why it is wise for us to listen to Jesus’ teaching in today’s parable. In this disturbing but important parable, we hear how a rich man failed to attain eternal life, even though he had been abundantly blessed.
Why did he fail? There is nothing in the parable that indicates he was a dishonest man or a cruel man. Nothing suggests he was ungrateful for what he received. He seemed to be a person who enjoyed life and shared what he had with family and friends as he feasted sumptuously every day. Nor is there anything in the parable that indicates he mistreated the poor man Lazarus, who was at his gate. He did not insult him or abuse him. In fact, it seems that he never even noticed him.
This, I would suggest, is the failure of the rich man—he was too busy living his own life, and he failed to notice Lazarus at his gate. The two of them did not live far apart. Lazarus was sitting at his very door. Yet the rich man lived his life isolated from the poor man. There was a gap between them. The rich man lived his life without ever noticing the poor man who was so close at hand.
After his death, the rich man certainly noticed Lazarus. Not only did he notice him, but he wanted to bridge the gap between them. He begged that Lazarus bring but a drop of water to cool his tormented tongue. But after death we discover that the gulf becomes a chasm, and it is no longer possible to cross it.
Obviously then, the point of the parable is to notice Lazarus at our door—and to reach out to him while there is still time.
Saint Mother Teresa remarked that you can find Calcutta all over the world if you have eyes to see. In the same way, we can find Lazarus all over the world if we have eyes to see. Lazarus can be found in those who are physically suffering, but also in those who are spiritually suffering. To serve him, Christ gives us the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The corporal works of mercy, based largely on Matthew 25, are: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead.
The spiritual works of mercy are: to counsel the doubtful, comfort the afflicted, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, and pray for the living and the dead.
May we have eyes to see Lazarus, hearts to love him, and arms to serve him—using that with which we have been blessed to bless others.
Jesus calls us to notice Lazarus at our door and to reach out, crossing the gulf that isolates us from him. He calls us to do this in a very personal and specific way. Notice in the parable that the rich man did not ignore all the beggars in Israel—only Lazarus, who was closest to him.
We cannot be expected to reach out to the millions of people who live in poverty, or the tens of millions who are dealing with grief. But we can be expected to notice the Lazarus who sits at our gate. Who is he? What is her name? You know it. The name is coming to your mind right now. That person is the one the Gospel calls you to recognize, to notice, and to touch. Do not ignore him or her. Do not pretend that the need of one so near to you is not your concern.
There is good news and bad news in today’s Gospel. The bad news is that we may be ignoring people who are close to us and in need. The good news is that there is still time to change. Lazarus is at our door. Jesus calls us to notice him and to let our love make a difference. Reach out—cross the gulf that presently separates you from him. After death, it will be too late.