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LAZARUS

‘Father, why is that beggar there?
Sat at our gate,
Covered in rags and sores?
Hungry,
Forlorn.

I don’t like him.
I caught him last night,
Looking in.
You should have seen his face,
His eyes filled with hunger,
His body trembling,
Wistful,
Longing to be fed.
Can’t you do something?’

‘It’s not my business.
Why can’t they look after him?
I pay my tithes,’
That covers charity.
Besides,
It’s only laziness,
Why doesn’t he get a job?
Do something,
Lift himself up?
It’s men like him disturb the country,
Zealots,
Rebels,
Ruining life for all.
No point in helping him,
Throwing away our money,
He’d misuse it,
Waste it.
Don’t bother with him my son,
Go to bed.’

‘Father, I had a dream last night.
I saw the beggar,
Dead,
Borne by angels,
Clothed in glistening white.
And father,
I saw you too,
Oh father, I cannot bear it,
I saw you,
Dead,
Buried,
Filled with anguish,
Seeing the water you refused to him,
Yet waterless,
Thirsty,
Crying out,
Hopeless.’

‘Don’t be afraid, my son.
Others are worse than I.
They turn away from millions,
I from one.
They see them on TV,
In newspapers,
Magazines
Then turn and cast it off,
Forget,
Or send a pittance,
Soothing conscience,
Costing nothing.
Three hundred million people ever hungry,
Five hundred thousand dying every day,
Dying,
And they let them die.
If there is hope for them, why should I fear,
Who only turn away,
From one?’

‘So just enjoy yourself,
We’ll go on holiday,
Get away,
Spend our money,
Insure our future,
Buy a bigger house,
A car,
Go out for dinner,
Spoil ourselves.
We give our tithes to God,
Enjoy the rest,
And let the beggar die.’

The beggar died,
The rich man also died ---.

See Luke 16.19-31.