HEAVEN RULES

In today’s 1st reading Jeremiah deals with the situation of the people of Jerusalem being divided into different camps. The cursed trust in human beings because they trust in the King of Egypt to save them from the king of Babylon. Jeremiah warns them to obey the law and stay out of any alliances with the King of Egypt but they don’t want to listen. They switched alliances on a regular basis. He told them that to trust in humans is their own doom but blessed is the man whose trust is in the Lord. This trust and hope can give life in the presence of difficulties. At that time Israel is in a real threat in the presence of Babylon but it is trust in the Lord that gives life. This applies not only in the time of Jeremiah but also to us. If we trust in human enterprises in the midst of the problems in our modern world despite the comforts and ease we enjoy today then we are doomed. We still have problems no matter how well developed one can be like the Japanese people with the problem of nature. It affects their enterprises and can’t control nature. They have problems to be clean up their nuclear reactors and they need to do the best just as we too need to do the best we can with the gifts of the modern world but most of all is to trust in the Lord. We don’t accommodate ourselves to the culture instead we should be putting our trust in what God has revealed. The curse is on us if we keep on putting our trust in human beings instead of what God has revealed in what’s right and wrong. God alone can probe the mind and test the heart. This is a very unpopular part of Jeremiah’s prophecy. We should not look at the exterior. Even Jesus warned us not to judge one another. But we should never be afraid to call sin for what it is, that’s part of the good sense. God makes it clear what a person deserves. All we can do is see the outside behavior and know that what is bad is bad. We should never be afraid to say that those are wicked things but we’re not supposed to say that the person is going to hell. What we should worry about is if we’re going to hell or heaven since it is difficult enough to probe our own hearts let alone probe others. God probes our hearts but He gives us guidelines as Jeremiah tells us today. Amen. Hallelujah!

Jeremiah 17:5-10
...Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. 8 He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. 9 More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? 10 I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart, to reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds.

Today’s psalm continues to give us the guidelines we need to live by to truly prosper in the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
R: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
1 Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, 2 but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. (R) 3 He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.

Today’s parable may make us want to think of the parable of the Prodigal Son because he got his inheritance but lost everything. He became impoverished but he repented. The parable in the gospel today is about a rich man who is not named and the poor man named Lazarus. His name means God is his help despite the catastrophe for him who is impoverished and sick. The rich man did not do anything particularly bad to Lazarus. He didn’t kick him nor did he steal money from him but he committed the sin of neglect when he had plenty. For that he ends up condemned and God judges him to be worthy of the flame while Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham for having suffered with God as his help. He trusted and hoped in God. It’s interesting that the rich man is burning in hell and still trying to give orders by saying, tell Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. Notice that he still doesn’t call him by name the second time when he asked to send him to their father’s house, for he has five brothers, so that they may be warned. He is still trying to run things on his own. Hell does not rule in heaven. There is no authority as Abraham said a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing. He further reminded him they have Moses and the prophets and have plenty of warnings with the commandments, in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. We are shown how important it is to share with those who are poor. This is something very important. When the rich man insisted that it’s not enough because they need someone from the dead to tell them, it is also for us to realize that Jesus already came back from the dead. In the creed every Sunday we say we believe in the Holy Spirit who has spoken through the prophets. We trust that the Lord spoke through the prophets and still speak to us in the old and the new testaments. We will be amazed at how the Lord calls us away from the judgment as He infinitely do for He does want to send us all to heaven. Most of us want to go to heaven but God wants us there infinitely more. He gives us the means in the scriptures and the sacraments in the church where we belong. We trust in the Lord as Jeremiah said that He will bring us to heaven as we follow His ways, read scriptures and receive the sacraments so as to make it to that heavenly way to the heavenly joy. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 16:19-31
19 Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. 20 And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. 22 When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ 25 Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. 26 Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ 27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”