Personal Greed
Do you think people set out to be greedy or do they just lack compassion?
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" - Luke 16:19-31
I am reminded of A Christmas Carol when I read this story of the rich man who ignored the poor man at his gate.
The parallel in the stories lies in wanting the dead to visit the living to awaken compassion in them.
In the Dickens account, it takes more than a visit from his old partner Jacob Marley to convince Scrooge that he needs to change his life.
What we see as greed in people may have its roots on something much deeper.
If you remember the story of Scrooge, it is revealed through these ghostly visits that he is a pretty lonely man, missing out on a lot of the simple pleasures in life, focused only on making money and finding ways to hold onto as much of it as he can.
Money is his only friend, and it is a cold, uncaring one at that.
Jesus knew there was only one way to live and that is through love. Love of one another fills the hole that exists in each of us.
When we fail to love and be loved, we pour everything else into that hole, but we are never made whole in doing that.
The emptiness manifests itself to others as greed, because we become consumed with the process of gathering and hoarding for ourselves, rather than harvesting and sharing with others.
What Scrooge learned, that the rich man missed, was there is joy in giving and sharing, and that joy is greater than any money alone can bring.
So, why not shift the greed into something else?
Why not fill the hole to overflowing with love for those around us?
As Jesus points out in the story, waiting may be a mistake.
More to come...