Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the Gospel of Sunday, September 28, entitled “They have Moses and the prophets: let them listen to them.”

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Last Sunday, the Word of God spoke to us about how we cannot serve both God and money, and how dangerous it is for our spiritual health to live attached to money and place our security in material realities. 

Today, the Gospel shows us two people: a rich man, who lived in the service of money; he dressed in purple and linen and feasted sumptuously every day.  And a poor man, Lazarus.  

It also shows us the consequences of choosing to serve God or serve money.  

Idolatry has led the rich man to death. He finds himself in hell. He has earned much money, but he has lost the fight of faith.  It is of no use to someone if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. 

God wants all people to be saved, we heard last Sunday. But God, who loves you, created you free, and therefore, as Saint Augustine says:  God, who created you without you, will not save you without you. 

Idolatry hardens the heart.  This Word calls us seriously to conversion:  If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.  It’s not a question of miracles, but of trust. 

Idolatry leads to pride, self-sufficiency, arrogance, putting trust in oneself, in one’s own strength, and it closes the heart to the action of the Holy Spirit. 

Lazarus, on the other hand, has trusted in the Lord, has fought the good fight of faith, and has won the eternal life to which he was called. 

And the thing is that you reach heaven by going down. 

The rich man wants to follow Adam’s path ; he wants to climb to heaven to rob God of his sovereignty.  That path leads to death. 

The poor have followed the path of Jesus Christ, who, though rich, became poor to enrich us all. This path leads to heaven, to eternal life. 

This Word is a serious invitation to conversion.  To your conversion. To take life seriously:  it’s no use gaining the whole world if, in the end, you lose your soul.  

How is your heart? Who is the Lord of your life? 

Come, Holy Spirit!