God uses the poor and lowly as His probes. In today's Gospel, God uses the beggar Lazarus as a probe to test the heart of the rich man, traditionally known as Dives. Lazarus, just by existing, tested Dives' heart. Dives failed the test; he thought of Lazarus as little more than a serving boy, useful only to bring him water (Lk 16:24) or to be a messenger to his brothers (Lk 16:27). Even the dogs treated Lazarus as a person worthy of compassion (Lk 16:21), while Dives did not.
God's probes can take surprising, often annoying, forms. The Lord may well be using people who are poor or needy as probes to test you. Can you see that whatever you do to them, you do to Jesus? (Mt 25:40) Can you see that whatever you do not do to these people, you don't do to Jesus? (Mt 25:45)
God probes us (Wis 6:3; 11:10; Bar 3:32). As noted above, God's probes often take human forms. Can you love these people? God pokes and probes us to see how we will respond (see Dt 8:2). "We should be grateful to the Lord, our God for putting us to the test" and probing us (Jdt 8:25).
"O Lord, You have probed me and You know me" (Ps 139:1). "Probe me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts" (Ps 139:23).
| PRAYER: | Father, I repent of ignoring any of Your probing. Give me the grace to love those people You put into my life. |
| PROMISE: | "Happy 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, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His law day and night." –Ps 1:1-2 |
| PRAISE: | Patricia now prays several times a day. Not so long ago she had only prayed on Sundays. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College