TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Amos 6: 1-7|1 Timothy 6: 11-16|Luke 16:19-31
Let us be Merciful to One another
Schindler's
List is a
1993 American epic historical period
drama film,
directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is
based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, an Australian novelist. The film is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, an
ethnic German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. When the war started, he saw it
as an opportunity to make money.
He made friends with
some of the German officials and worked out a deal with them to use Jewish
prisoners as free
labor for his weaponries factory. Since he didn't have to pay his workers, he was able to rake in a handsome profit. But little by little his eyes
opened to the horrors of
the Nazi regime. His heart changed, and he started using his factories and his connections with German officers
to save his Jewish workers from
the Holocaust. He used the money he had made during the early part of the war to
"buy" more and more Jewish
workers, just so he could save
their lives. By the end of the war he was as broke as he had been at the beginning, but he had managed to save hundreds of Jews from being murdered. In the last scene of
the movie, the Germans are fleeing as
allied troops approach the town where
the factory is located. We see Schindler surrounded by the workers whom he had saved, and they are thanking him.
But then Schindler starts to cry. He looks around at the faces of the people he saved, and he
tells them, "I could have done so much more." He holds up his gold watch, and he says,
"This could have bought someone's freedom." He cries out that if he
had started sooner he could
have saved twice as
many. Every face he sees makes
him think of another face
that he could have saved if
he had been less self-centered.
He is completely troubled. Schindler
had experienced firsthand the destructive power of the sin of
omission.[i]
Once again,
we are reflecting the story of Lazarus and the rich man. We have heard about
this story number of times and I believe that this is more meaningful to
reflect in the year of Mercy. The Story is about the sin of lack of Mercy and
we can say it was merciless indifference.
The rich man
in Jesus’ story did not commit any serious sins in our concept. It doesn’t
speak about it. He did not kill anybody; neither was he a Mafia king nor
involved in human trafficking. He was a pretty good guy in our definition of
holiness. And yet he failed to enter into eternal life. Why?
St.
Bonaventure in his commentary on Luke says, “[ii]the
circumstances of the poor man shows that he was worthy of Mercy and
consequently that the rich man was merciless and impious. For the poor man was
sick, abandoned and he was a man dear to God and Just”. But the rich man was so
self-centered and he closed his heart to a neighbor who desperately needed his
help.
Indifference
is becoming an iconic quality of our time. Why should I enter into others
business? Why should I bother about other’s life? I don’t have to waste my time
for you? I am sorry, I am not the right person to help you, and I have
something else to do… These are the often quoted comments that we hear now a
days. Indifferent to life and society is now fashionable and we have no problem
to accept it. I am happy as far as my life is safe. I have no problem whatever
happens around me.
My mind
makes me to think with Marin Niemoller, a German Lutheran Pastor and
theologian, he says:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not
speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did
not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak
out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to
speak for me[iii]
Brothers and
Sisters, Self-centeredness and individualism kills the goodness in us, Kills
the society and the nation. It is not our riches and wealth that is evil but it
is our attitude and the love towards them make it sin. Whenever we hear about
the story of the Lazarus, we point our finger to all the rich people around us
and consider ourselves in the position of Lazarus. Is the money only the
wealth? Don’t we consider our other resources like, time, energy, health,
knowledge etc. as part of our wealth? I believe that we all are blessed with
different talents and those are our wealth. Therefore we are rich enough to
share it with others. We can no longer say that I am poor and sharing is
someone else business. The gospel is so clear we can never be indifferent to
others’ life.
Let me conclude
it with a wonderful quote that appeared on our freshmen T- Shirt this year:
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
Let us be
merciful like the Father. Amen
Tony Friar Vattaparambil
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