We are our brothers and sisters’ keepers
In the first reading today Jeremiah makes a strong contrast between two kinds of people:
(a) the one who thinks he is self-sufficient, is immersed in the material world and ignores the place of God in his life.
(b) the one who puts all his trust in God and in the way of life that God suggests.
The first man's life is basically barren and empty. "He is like dry scrub in the wastelands." He has no eye for what is really good. Surrounded by his luxuries and pleasures he unconsciously lives in a desert. He measures his life by what he has, not by what he is – for himself, still less for others.
The second man "is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream; when the heat comes, it feels no anxiety, its leaves stay green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit." Such a person may lead a life of great material simplicity but is in touch with a deeper source of wealth, God's truth, wisdom and love.
It is very easy to be persuaded that happiness lies in having things, having status, having power. That is what the rich man in the Gospel was thinking of. And many people have been trapped by this by sacrificing the truth, justice and humanity or neglecting others.
That was the nameless rich man in the gospel did. It seems that there was nothing happening. The rich man is eating; the poor man is sitting and waiting. There are no words between them. The poor man is not abused or chased away; he is simply ignored as if he did not exist. So, his problem is not so much what he did, but what he didn't do. He failed to reach out and help Lazarus, the poor man covered with sores. He failed to take this opportunity to serve his neighbor. He could have easily given him something to eat and drink and he didn't do it.
Life is measured not by wealth, status, or power but in a life of caring and sharing relationships. In a world of extreme consumerism, hedonism and individualism, today's readings have a very important message. The truly rich are those who enrich the lives of others. Today's Mass is about priorities and about our responsibilities to those around us. It deals with Cain's question: "Am I my brother's keeper?" And the answer is, "Yes." "We are our brothers and sisters' keepers!"
