There is Little Room for God in a Selfish Heart.

In today’s gospel, Lazarus is “invisible” to the rich man. The rich man is so focused on his own wants and pleasures, he ignores the needs of those around him. Even after the rich man dies, he does not change his selfish heart. The rich man’s concerns are only for his comfort and the comfort of his rich family. The rich man did not help those in need during his earthly life because there was no compassion in his heart. Therefore, he was denied everlasting life with God.

Do we treat the poor, the sick, and the elderly as invisible in our own lives? God has a special affinity for the poor and suffering. It is our calling to be the hands of Jesus offering assistance to them whenever and however we can. We should not be like the rich man who ignored the needs of those around him who were suffering. We must not let our hearts get so full of “me, me, me” that we lose sight of those around us.

The more we do for others, the more God will do for us. The trials of this life will pale in comparison to the glory we will receive in heaven. When we change our perspective from “me” to “we”, we are offering God a multitude of ways to work through us to help others.