Frank Sinatra and the very small cramped life of Dives

+ J. M. J. +

Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Our readings today present us with a rather unflattering portrait of the soul uninterested, unconcerned with God. In our first reading, the words of the Prophet Amos are directed against leaders of his time who would not listen to God’s word. They are:

… complacent…. Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches…. Improvising to the music of the harp, like David, they devise their own accompaniment. They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils.

None of these things are inherently sinful… to rest, to play music, to drink wine, to use fine oil… but with an attitude of complacency, self-absorption, self-satisfaction, such a life can lead one to live in very small quarters, in the cramped space of one’s own pleasure and comfort. These leaders of Israel should have been the first to hear God’s word, the first to seek virtue and faith, the first to provide witness to the truth. Can we hold up this mirror to our own minds and hearts? Can we recognize that we too might well fall prey to such a cramped and self-focused existence?


We see this expanded in our dramatic Gospel of the rich man and Lazarus. One word for rich in Latin is dives, and so often the rich man is given this word as a name, Dives, Rich. Notice that he is not described as a hardened public sinner. In other places Jesus speaks very strongly against overt sin, but that is not His principle concern in telling this parable. We don’t know how Dives acquired his wealth… perhaps he worked long and hard. We are not told that he mistreated and abused other people harshly. What we are told is that he lived very well, very comfortably, that he dined well, sumptuously, and that even the scraps from his table were rich and nourishing. Notice that we’re not even told that he ever mistreated Lazarus If Lazarus was there at the door, perhaps he even received a handout from time to time. I honestly wonder if Dives even know Lazarus was there. It seems that with his fine clothes and his fine food he had plenty to occupy his attention.

Like those early leaders who ignored the Prophet Amos, Dives is self-absorbed, self-satisfied. It is not so much that he has consciously chosen to reject God, or God’s law, or God’s poor. It is not so much that he has even consciously chosen to neglect Lazarus. Rather, he marches to the beat of his own drum, his own comfort, his own convenience. Again, can we hold this up as a mirror? Can we see ourselves in Dives? Can we recognize how little energy and attention we often give to God, how negligible our openness to God may be? Inasmuch as we live in a world obsessed with comfort and health and possessions, perhaps we are in even greater danger! Maybe Dives doesn’t hold a candle to our own vulnerability to the trap of self-absorption! If I look within mine own heart I recognize how often this description fits my own thoughts and actions, and maybe you can recognize yourself there to!

The people hearing Jesus may well have been shocked at Dives’ fate… he finds himself in torment, in the land of the dead. Jewish understanding tended to see wealth as a clear sign of blessing from God, and yet this rich man has ended up cut off, in torment.  This is where a lust for comfort leads… this is where placing things at the center of our lives will take us… to the land of the dead, to emptiness, even to misery. The land of the dead that Jesus describes is not quite Hell… and we don’t actually know exactly why Dives is there. But if God had come knocking before Dives died, he probably wouldn’t even have answered the door!

It is hard for us to hear this challenge, and yet God calls. Do we seek our own comfort, our own way, our own schedule and plans above all else? Perhaps you’ve heard it said before, (one popular preacher, maybe the first, Fr. Larry Richards in his book) but Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way,” is a pretty good guess at the theme song of hell! The leaders of Israel did it their way, and all Israel was taken captive into exile. Dives lived life his way, and ended up in torment. If we lead our lives by our own measure, rather than by God’s, we face the very real possibility of bitter emptiness both in this life and the next.




 (The man has an amazing voice, I don't know much about his personal life, but the lyrics lead straight away from God!)

In the parable, Dives cries out on behalf of himself, as well as his five brothers. In the face of his own death, he realizes how empty his life had been. Dives cries out for at least a messenger to be sent. But Abraham, representing the just, those who heard God’s voice and responded, Abraham tells us exactly what happened when God came Himself, when Jesus came:

If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.

So, we who have gathered here for Mass hear this challenge, this invitation, to look in the mirror. If we recognize this trap of self-absorption, of self-sufficiency, we are invited to choose a different path… to choose God, to choose God’s truth, God’s law, God’s path. This involves listening, this involves waiting upon the Lord, this involves walking paths at times that we might never have imagined. However much sacrifice may be involved, though, choosing God’s way means choosing joy, and peace, and truth, even in the midst of struggle.

Whereas the 1st Reading and Gospel clearly reject the false path of self-absorption, in our 2nd Reading, St. Paul advises St. Timothy, a young bishop, of the path he should walk, and it is good advice for us… it is a path very different from the one rejected by Amos and by Christ:

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

This is a very different path… not a path focused on comfort and complacency, but a path oriented toward God, and open to His grace. It is a difficult path. It is often an unpopular path. It is often a surprising path… but it is the way of Christ, the way of God, the way of peace.




Jesus Himself models this for us perfectly, entrusting Himself into the Father’s hands… entrusting Himself into our hands. He shows us the way, gives us the example, and offers us the grace to follow. May we receive our Lord Jesus now with joy, with hope, willing to follow Him wherever He leads.

+ A. M. D. G. +