A Reflection for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C).
Amos 6:1, 4-7 – 1Timothy 6:11-16 – Luke 16:19-31.
There is a story by Claire H Bishop and Kurt Wiese about five Chinese brothers. The brothers lived with their mum in a little house not far from the sea. All five of them looked exactly alike but they had very different gifts and capabilities. The first could swallow a sea, the second had a neck as hard as steel, the third could stretch his legs to any length, the fourth couldn’t be burnt, and the fifth could hold his breath indefinitely.
The first son, the one who could swallow the sea, used to go out fishing every morning and take the best fish to market. As the eldest son, he was the one who went out to work to ensure the family’s welfare. One day a local boy whom he vaguely knew asked him if he could go out fishing with him. Number One Son agreed on one condition: that the boy absolutely must obey every instruction given to him.
When they did go fishing, Number One Son swallowed all the water in the sea so that they could pick up the best fish from the sea bed. The boy, gobsmacked at the sight, went off to explore the exposed sea bed. The son was having some difficulty holding the sea in his mouth, so after a couple of minutes he beckoned the boy to come back. The boy refused: he was having far too much fun playing around on the sand. The son signalled frantically that he couldn’t hold on much longer, but the boy ignored him. The inevitable happened, the sea surged and frothed forth from his mouth, and the boy was drowned.
The local magistrate didn’t see the turn of events as an accident, placed Number One Son on remand and, after a trial, the presiding judge sentenced him to death by beheading.
On the day of the execution, the son’s last request was to be allowed to go and see his mum at home. Permission was granted. When he was taken to the family house, the 2nd son (who looked just like his brother) went back to prison in his place. He was the one who had a neck of steel. When the executioner tried to behead Number Two Son, he tried and tried but failed. The judge and the crowd were totally bemused. The execution was rescheduled, and the sentence was amended to being drowned in the sea.
On the day of the execution, Number Two Son asked to be allowed to go and see his mum. Permission was granted. When he was taken to the house, the 3rd son (who looked just like his brother) went back to prison in his place. He was the one whose legs could stretch to any length. Number Three Son was thrown into the ocean with iron weights attached to his extending legs. Despite these weights, his head remained above the water. The judge and the crowd were totally bemused. The execution was rescheduled, and the sentence was amended to being burnt alive.
On the day of the execution, Number Three Son asked to be allowed to go and see his mum. Permission was granted. When he was taken to the house, the 4th son (who looked just like his brother) went back to prison in his place. He was the one who could not be burned. When he was committed to the flames, he seemed to be enjoying the fire. The judge and the crowd were totally bemused. The execution was rescheduled, and the sentence was amended to being suffocated inside a giant bell.
On the day of the execution, Number Four Son asked to be allowed to go and see his mum. Permission was granted. When he was taken to the house, the 5th son (who looked just like his brother) went back to prison in his place. He was the one who could hold his breath indefinitely. A giant bell was lowered on ropes from the belfry onto the ground where the prisoner was tied to a rack. When the bell was lifted the following morning, he was found not only to be still alive but also to be enjoying a nap. It was then that the judge declared Number One Son to be free to go on the grounds that he must surely be innocent of all charges, having survived five executions.
In telling you this story, I want you to see how these five brothers were there for each other. They used their special gifts to help to save each other’s life in some way. Now I want to bring these five siblings before you in more concrete terms for our Reflection today. Think of the five brothers’ attributes as analogous to the five senses: senses of hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste.
The rich man in Jesus’ parable asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers to give them a warning. Now, who are the five brothers? And what is the message we are to receive? On an individual level, the message is for you and for me. It is that we remind ourselves of the vital importance of listening keenly to the voice of God, guiding us on the right way to live, having a vision of life that goes beyond ourselves and encompasses others’ wellbeing, having hands extended in the service of others, looking out for and feeling for the “Lazarus” – the poor and the hungry – in our community. How awake are we to these realities? The Lord calls us to awaken our consciousness and sharpen our sensitivities to the plight of people directly around us. On a broader level, I perceive this message as a call across the continents of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and especially as a call to the depth of our common humanity, always to be sensitive to the plight of others worldwide, to look out for each other as one family and respond accordingly. That was what the rich man desired for his brothers despite all his faults.
In the First reading, Amos prophesied the exile of the wealthy people of Israel who, in their comfort, never paid attention to (or cared for) what he called “the ruin of Joseph”. Today we are all facing a difficult moment in history; nonetheless, we should continue to care for one another. The good, and the care, that we show today will come back to us either in time or in eternity.
I conclude with St Paul’s admonition: you must aim to be saintly… fight the good fight of faith and win for yourself the eternal life… I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told. And how do you do that? By being sensitive to other people both here and around the world, and to do your bit to help until Jesus the Christ returns in glory. Amen. God bless you.