Right There, At My Door

Today's Gospel is that familiar reading, from Luke,  about the rich man and Lazarus.   As I was doing lectio on it this morning,  what caught my attention was the fact that Lazarus,  poor and sick and covered with sores, was at the rich man's door.   Does this mean that every time the rich man entered or left his house,  there was Lazarus?   Had this desperately needy man become so much a part of the scenery that the rich man simply stepped around him, without a second thought?

I can become very opinionated about what's going on in the world and in the nation.   I can sign petitions,  attend demonstrations,  read and listen to the words of both Church and civil commentators on social justice,  sustainability,  concern for the most marginalized and vulnerable.  And I should!

But is there a poor person at my door that I don't even notice?   It could be the unexpected phone caller, or the individual who drops in at my office when I'm in the middle of a project,  or someone who needs a ride somewhere.    These things interrupt my precious daily checklist -- but if they're on God's checklist for me that day...?   My responsibility to the poor in a global sense doesn't excuse me from being bountiful with time and and concern for those around me who may need not food or money,  but a listening heart and a personal response. 

So this often-quoted Gospel passage is a challenge to be welcoming, mindful,  open to the here-and-now moment, which is always where God lives.   Another familiar passage,  this time from Matthew's Gospel, reminds us that in the person of the one who needs our time and concern is Christ himself.  That's not simply poetry;  it's real,  and Jesus makes it the standard for all who wish to live eternally in his reign. 

So, the next time I want to glance quickly at my watch when someone is talking to me -- can I resist the temptation and simply stay in the moment?  It's where Jesus is.

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