Ps 146
1 Tm 6:11-16
Lk 16:19-31
The ancient warning in the first reading from Amos is harsh while the description of the people is contemporary. “Woe to the complacent of Zion . . . Lying upon beds of ivory, they eat lamb taken from the flock, they anoint themselves with the best oils." Today Amos would write, “Woe to the self-obsessed taking selfies with their phones, they eat fast food taken from a bag, wear too much perfume, and inject Botox.” The Book of Amos repeatedly stresses social and political ills in general terms. Thus, it can be read in the context of today. There are social and political ills in every country that cause and contribute to a variety of personal ills. There are social and political sins that contribute to and even drive the human propensity to sin. In the end individual sin drives social sin and social sin allows individuals more creative opportunities for individual sin.
Amos’ warning is a stark contrast to Paul’s letter. Given the context of Amos’ message and the Gospel it is a pity that the second reading didn’t begin with verse 10 rather than verse 11. Verse 10 is well-known: “For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through their craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.” Then we hear Paul’s charge to Timothy in the proper context, “BUT as for you . . . .pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” It is fascinating that the line "For the love of money is the root of all evils," is generally misquoted as "money is the root of all evil." The two phrases are not identical. They do not mean the same thing. Money itself is not evil; it is not the root of all evil. Money is a necessity. The root of all evil is the emotional attachment to it or the insatiable drive to obtain even more no matter what. The root of all evil is loving, adoring, and worshipping money and its perks.
This evil may be at a corporate level. A few years ago the immaculately coifed and impeccably dressed Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals and the daughter Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, had to defend herself for increasing the price of the Epi Pen, used for anaphylactic shock from $100 for two to $600 for two; a 535% increase over seven years. Her annual compensation was over $8,700,000 per year. The cost of epinephrine, the active drug in the pen, is pennies per dose. The rest is delivery system, advertising, costs, and of course, her obscene salary.
We are now seeing a similar crisis of greed with the cost of insulin. Banting and Best, the discoverers of insulin, wanted it to be free. But the price for one vial of Eli Lilly's Humalog rocketed from $35 in 2001 to $234 in 2015. It is higher now.
However, before one becomes to self-satisfied while clucking about the sins of big pharma, it is critical to know that the love of money the craving for it is not limited to big corporations.
One reads far too many stories about the church secretary or the treasurer of the Little League, who diverted thousands of dollars to his or her personal use. In January 2004, Barbara Bullock, former president of the Washington, D.C. Teacher's Union, pleaded guilty to embezzling 2.5 million from union funds. She blew it on the usual: furs, jewelry, trips, and gifts. Be it Eli Lilly, Mylan, or a local union president, the love of and desire for money, drove the sin.
The parable sometimes referred to as Dives and Lazarus is unique to Luke's Gospel. The names are important though only one of them appears in the narrative. Lazarus is derived from the Hebrew El azar, which means “God has helped.” Obviously the name is no accident. “When the poor man died he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.” God had indeed helped him. Tradition, and only tradition, gave the rich man his name. Dives is a Latin adjective for rich. Thus Dives and Lazarus; The Rich Man and the One God has helped.
The first part of the parable describes a reversal of fortune. Upon his death Lazarus, the beggar, was carried to Abraham’s bosom. Upon his death, Dives, the man who had it all, was tormented in the netherworld. The second half of the parable is a conversation between the rich man and Abraham. It is instructive.
Dives is not portrayed as a bad man. He is not wicked or malevolent along the lines of Herod or others. True, he dressed well. He ate a rich diet. He lived in comfortable surroundings. He enjoyed the rewards of hard work. The rich man was not necessarily evil. He was blind. He was oblivious. He was oblivious to the suffering around him. He didn’t notice it. Lazarus—like the poor in the streets today—had melted into the landscape. He was passed by, stepped over, and avoided.
Dives, the wealthy man, bore him no ill-will. He was not hostile. He didn't notice him. Lazarus was there but was invisible. Dives was not without merit. He accepted that Lazarus could not cross the chasm to ease his thirst. He didn't protest. He didn't whine. He didn't argue. He didn't plead. But he wanted to prevent his equally oblivious brothers from suffering the same fate. It couldn't be done. If his brothers wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not be persuaded even if someone should rise from the dead. Just like Dives and his brothers we have Moses and the Prophets. Unlike Dives and his brothers we also have Jesus; who suffered, died and rose from the dead to save us from sin.
Why do we not listen to him either?
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The photos take you on a guided tour of my favorite real estate on earth: The University Park Campus of Penn State University. No place has influenced my life, where it went, where it is, and where what is left will go.
Old Main. The administrative building. It was torn down around 1928, the year after my dad graduated, and rebuilt with the same stones (that would not happen today). The columns were added after the reconstruction.
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