Weekly HOMILY for September 30, 2007: How Much Is Enough?

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
September 30, 2007

Focus: Responding to the Lazaruses in our day
Function: To give people ways that empower them to respond to the needs of the poor


How Much Is Enough?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


What Is Enough?

Several years ago, I was leading a men’s Scripture group and we were talking about this Gospel that we just heard.

One of the men in the group – Rob – asked: “What is enough? How do you know when you have enough?”

Rob has a good job. He and his wife are working hard to put some money away for the college education of their two children and, more long range, for their own retirement.

They live in a nice home, but by no means outlandish. They take vacations each summer as a family.

And Rob asks: “How much is enough?” In other words, when do you know that you have enough and ought to be giving some, or more, away to help those in need?

That Scripture group wrestled with this and we never did come up with an answer for it is a difficult question.

Now years later, I’m confronted with the same Gospel. I have thought and prayed over the question and, while I do not have a simple answer, I do have some guidelines that might help.

These are guidelines, not for knowing when we have enough, but rather for responding to the Lazaruses of our own day.

1. Never Forget Where You Came From

First, whenever my brother, sister or I would be crying or whining over not having something a friend had, my father always used the occasion to say, “Never forget where you came from.”

For him it meant being looked down upon because he and my mother were Sicilian immigrants; it meant the depression when food was scarce and pasta and beans was a frequent dish on the table; it meant not owning a home or a car of their own for several years into their marriage; it meant walking the 20 blocks to work in order and save the $.15 bus fare.

Of course his thought was that the three of us would never know the harder times that he had known, but he did not want us to take what we had for granted. He wanted us to appreciate what we had and to be sensitive to those who did not have enough.

“Never forget where you came from” was his guiding principle to us then and it remains one for me today. It could serve you as well.

2. Keep Your Eyes Opened

A second guideline for responding to the Lazaruses of our day is to keep our eyes opened.

The rich man in today’s parable apparently did not really see the poor man Lazarus. Oh, yes, he may have seen him with these (point to eyes), but not with the eyes of his heart. The eyes of his heart would have seen the reality of Lazarus’ hunger and misery.

We need to be sure that we see the Lazaruses’ of our day.

Perhaps it is the widowed man or woman next door who just needs someone to talk with for a few minutes,

Or maybe it is the estimated 32,000 children who are dying in our world each day from starvation.

Or perhaps the teenage son or daughter we don’t have time for.

We need to keep our eyes opened to all in need of our presence, love, and support.

3. Do Not Judge

A third guideline for responding is simply to refrain from judging or stereotyping.

In the parable today, the only thing that Jesus says about Lazarus is that he was poor, not that he was virtuous or not virtuous. And the only thing he says about the rich man is that he was rich, not that he was good or bad.

In the afterlife, the life beyond physical death, the rich man does not fare well for one reason and one reason only. He failed to assist Lazarus in his plight.

So, we need to respond with appropriate assistance to the Lazaruses of our day. We need to refrain from judging and from using our judgment as an excuse not to come to their aid.

4. Promote the Common Good

Fourth and finally, we need to promote the common good.

The common good is a traditional principle of our Catholic moral theology. To state it very simply, it means: to promote what is best for the greatest number of people.

Promoting the common good does not necessarily mean promoting what is best for me? It does mean that I favor public policies and laws that that look out for the well-being of the greatest number of people possible.

It means that sometimes, I am willing to sacrifice what might keep more money in my pocket or what might be better for me.

Yes, we need to promote the common good.

Conclusion

So, how much is enough? When do I know I have enough? The answer: I don’t know.

But I do know that living with certain guidelines or mindsets will steer us in the right direction: (1) Remember where you came from, (2) Keep your eyes opened, (3) Do not judge, and (4) Promote the common good

These guidelines will help us in sensing when we have enough and in moving us to share with the needy.