Pope: "to ignore the poor is to show contempt for God"

"God's mercy towards us is related to our mercy towards our neighbor. When this is lacking, then [God’s mercy] finds no place in our closed heart, it cannot enter". "Good and evil has been distributed to compensate the earthly injustice." "A lasting peace" for Ukraine.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "To ignore the poor is to show contempt for God " and "God's mercy towards us is related to our mercy towards our neighbor. When this is lacking, then [God’s mercy] finds no place in our closed heart, it cannot enter", warned Pope Francis in his catechesis for the general audience.

He was commenting on the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus to the 35 thousand people present in St Peter's Square. Francis emphasized two points: First, that "Lazarus represents the silent cry of the poor of all time and the contradiction of a world where vast wealth and resources are in a few" hands and "so many people pretend not see them”.  Second, " we should not expect miraculous events to convert ourselves, but open our heart to the Word of God, who calls us to love God and neighbor", "no messenger and no message will replace the poor we meet on the way, because in them we encounter Jesus himself".

The life of the rich man and Lazarus, the Pope said, "seems to run on parallel tracks: their living conditions are opposite and totally non-communicating. The front door of the rich is always closed to the poor, lying out there, trying to eat some leftovers of the rich man's table. These wear luxurious clothes, while Lazarus was covered with sores; the rich eat sumptuously every day while Lazarus is starving. Only dogs take care of him, and come and lick his sores. This scene reminds us of the harsh rebuke of the Son of man in the final judgment: "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink [...]I needed clothes and you did not clothe me" ( mt 25.42 to 43). Lazarus represents the silent cry of the poor of all time and the contradiction of a world where vast wealth and resources are in the hands of a few".

"Jesus says that one day that rich man died, the poor and the rich die, they share the same fate, all of us without exception, and then he invoked Abraham, begging him by the name of 'father' (vv. 24.27). Therefore he claims to be his son, belonging to God's people. Yet in life showed no consideration for God but made himself the center of everything, locked in his own world of luxury and waste. In excluding Lazarus, he did not take any account of the Lord or His law. To ignore the poor is to despise God! And we have to learn that well, to ignore the poor is to despise God! There is a particular of note in the parable: the rich man has no name, while that of the poor man’s name is repeated five times, and 'Lazarus' means 'God helps'. Lazarus, lying in front of the door, is a living reminder of the rich to remember God, but the rich man does not heed the warning. He will therefore be condemned not for his wealth, but because he was unable to feel compassion for Lazarus and rescue him".

"In the second part of the parable, we find Lazarus and the rich man after death (vv. 22-31). Hereafter the situation is reversed: Lazarus was carried by the angels into heaven to Abraham, the rich man instead falls into torment. Then the rich man "looked up and saw Abraham from afar, and Lazarus at his bosom." He seems to see Lazarus for the first time, but his words betray him, "Father Abraham - he says - have mercy on me and send Lazarus - eh he knew him - he may dip the tip of his finger and cool my tongue, because I suffer terribly in these flames". Now the rich man recognizes Lazarus and asks for help, while in life he pretended not to see him. How often, so many people pretend not to see the poor, the poor do not exist for them. Before he denied him even the leftovers from his table, and now he wants him to bring him a drink! He still he believes he can claim the rights of his previous condition. Declaring that it is impossible to meet his request, Abraham himself provides the key to the whole story: he explains that good and evil have been distributed to compensate earthly injustice, and the door that separated the rich from the poor in life, has turned into "a great void". Until Lazarus was at his house, there was a chance of salvation for the rich man, he only had to open the door and help Lazarus but now that both are dead, the situation has become irreparable. God is never directly called upon, but the parable clearly warns: God's mercy toward us is related to our mercy towards our neighbor.  When this is lacking, even the former finds no place in our closed heart, it can not enter. If I do not throw open the door of my heart to the poor that door remains closed, for God, and this is terrible! At this point, the rich man thinks of his brothers, who are likely to meet the same fate, and asks that Lazarus be allowed to return to the world to warn them. But Abraham replies, 'They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them' ".

"To convert ourselves, we should not expect miraculous events, but open our heart to the Word of God, who calls us to love God and neighbor. The Word of God can revive a withered heart and heal it of its blindness. The rich man knew the Word of God, but he did not hear it, he did not welcome it into his heart, so he was unable to open his eyes and to have pity on the poor. No messenger and no message will replace the poor we meet on the road, because in them we encounter Jesus himself: "Whatever you did to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Mt 25: 40). Thus the reversal of fortunes that the parable describes is hidden the mystery of our salvation, in which Christ unites poverty and mercy. Dear brothers and sisters, listening to this Gospel, all of us, together with the poor of the earth, we can sing with Mary: "He has put down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; He has filled the hungry with good things, sent the rich away empty (Lk 1.52 to 53)".

Finally, I his final greeting the Pope had a thought for Ukrainian children "orphaned and displaced by the armed conflict that still continues in the east. Through the intercession of Mary Most Holy I renew my prayer for a lasting peace, which can lift up this people, who are so tried, and offer a bright future for the new generations”.

• Vatican Pope Francis mercy poor injustice Ukraine