26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 29 September 2019 (YEAR C)

Maybe the reason this Gospel-story has become so famous is its extraordinary attention to detail; the regal colours of Dives' clothes, his exquisite tableware and fine dining. It all conjures up a vivid picture. At the same time Lazarus' world is equally well described. Begging at the gate, Lazarus' only companions are the dogs and his sores. Even giving names to both these characters adds to the power of the parable. These people are not just a rich man and a beggar. They are Dives and Lazarus, well-known to everyone in the village. All these years later they are well known to us too. Not the actual characters, of course, upon whom the story could be based, but all the Lazarus' and Dives' in our own villages. It is an important task for us to decide which one of these characters we think we are.

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