The Gospel for this Sunday is from the Evangelist Luke (Chapter 16:19-31) which is the 5th Sunday of Luke. It is the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus where Jesus contrasts the seemingly uncaring rich man and the desperately needy Lazarus. It is the old story of a rich man and poor man.

Let us examine the lessons from this gospel: first, wealth did not send the rich man to hell nor did poverty send the poor man to heaven. Rather it was their relationship to each other and God. Neither wealth nor poverty of themselves can send one to heaven or hell. Rather the decisive matter is how one lives in wealth or poverty, and how one goes about gaining wealth or protecting oneself against losing it.

The rich man would not have gone to hell if love filled his heart for God and his fellow man. The poor man, Lazarus, would not have gone to heaven if his heart had been filled with hate for the uncaring rich man, with resentment about his condition against God.

The second lesson from this Gospel Parable is that heaven and hell are far more permanent realities than our journey here on earth. We should as Orthodox Christians be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires. Our short sojourn on this earth, therefore, provides us with the unique opportunity to prepare for our eternal journey in God’s Kingdom.

These two lessons and thoughts are the essence of this parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.