I grew up in the 1950s and 60s when the Cold War was an omnipresent fact of life. Symbolic of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall. There it stood in the middle of a city, representing the cold, hard fact that the developed world was divided between democracy and communism with the threat of nuclear holocaust holding both sides in an uneasy semi-truce.
The Berlin Wall was such a fixture in my mind that I couldn’t imagine it could come down except by an awful war that might destroy us all. Yet it did come down in November of 1989.
Numerous sources see St. Pope John Paul II’s first visit as pope to his native Poland in June, 1979 as a pivoting link in the peaceful chain of events that brought down the Berlin Wall.
What happened? Pope John Paul reminded his countrymen that they are children of God, of infinite value to both God and each other. For nine days he stood and knelt in solidarity with them. The power of prayer, of leadership, and solidarity created what has been called “A Peaceful Revolution.”
Today’s readings confront us with awareness that opportunities for such solidarity and its potential to take down walls are all around us—in fact, literally on our door step.
Luke 16:19-31
Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus to the Pharisees. In some transitional verses (Luke 16:14-18), Luke tells us that the Pharisees, “who were lovers of money,” heard about Jesus’ story of the Unjust Steward with its concluding punchline of “No servant can serve two masters…” and scoffed at Jesus. They made comments that scorned and mocked them.
Jesus took them on. In the transitional verses, he tells them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” He gives a couple of examples that he is NOT dismissing the Law, but he is adding the necessity of obedience of the heart. Then he launches into the story of the poor man Lazarus and the Rich Man, traditionally known by the name Dives.
The parable is a well developed story. A poor beggar, with sores all over his body, begs at the gate of Dives house. Dives seems to pay him no mind. He doesn’t even arrange for Lazarus to have leftovers from his “sumptuous” table. Dogs (who probably got the scraps) come and lick Lazarus’ sores. Yet Dives knows Lazarus is there. He recognizes Lazarus after both of them die. Arrogant, entitled person that he is, Dives now begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him. He is told that, no, Lazarus can’t do that, nor can he return to earth to warn Dives’ brothers.
The story ends abruptly there. Jesus argues no more. He has made his point.
Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Amos, writing in the 8th century BCE (before Christ, before the Common Era), gives the same message to the people of Israel. “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying on beds of ivory; stretched comfortably on their couches…” Amos is describing people of his own day, who enjoy life while ignoring the poor and suffering around them. He calls alarm that God’s people can’t do that. Here, the reading from Amos matches the situation in the Gospel–and in our own day. We who have more tend to live in complacency.
1Timothy 6:11-16
In St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, the situation is both similar and different. Timothy is evangelist to the Christian community of Ephesus. Ephesus was a strong Christian community, evangelized by both Paul and John. Tradition has it that St. John brought the Blessed Mother to Ephesus after persecutions began in Jerusalem. In this sense, community attitudes were different from those of the Pharisees in Jesus’ world or the richer Jews of Israel 700 years earlier.
Yet the writings of both St. Paul and St. John indicate there were many troubles there. People were diligent in following the Way of Jesus–so diligent at times that they could get hung up in extremes, such as Gnosticism. The letters to them from St. John describe how they failed to love each other.
Timothy is pastoring and evangelizing this community. Paul urges Timothy to “PURSUE righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.” The word pursue stands out. We do not pursue what we already have, but what we value, what we want. We chase it.
Paul urges Timothy to pursue virtue by being virtuous himself. He encourages him to “lay hold of eternal life,” that is, to keep his eyes on the prize—the goal of Eternal Life with Jesus. He tells Timothy to “keep the commandments without reproach” until Christ comes.
Paul tells Timothy to do what neither the Pharisees nor the leaders of 8th century BC Israel did. He preaches solidarity with God first. Then he urges him to minister from that foundation in solidarity.
Applications: St. Pope John Paul II and Solidarity
The concept of Solidarity is one of the pillar concepts of Catholic Social Teaching. It is described in the Compendium of Catholic Social Teaching as “Solidarity highlights in a particular way the intrinsic social nature of the human person, the equality of all in dignity and rights and the common path of individuals and peoples toward an ever more committed unity.” (paragraph 192)
It is, in essence, the solution implied in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Dives wanted Solidarity when he was in trouble, but he could not receive what he had not given.
In this life, Dives lived in autonomy–taking care of himself. From the beginning (Genesis) God has told us to live in Solidarity, not autonomy. We stand together IN FAITH and caring. When St. Pope John Paul II returned to Poland in 1979, he stood in Solidarity with both God and his countrymen. From that place of uniting with each, he could become a conduit of God to his countrymen and of his countrymen to God. Stories of those nine days in Poland describe literally millions of people chanting “We want God.” God answered their prayers and showed them how to create a peaceful revolution that changed European and world history.
I keep reading encyclicals by St. Pope John Paul II. There are many. In every one I’ve read, the theme of Solidarity with both God and each other comes through. It is the theme of Amos and Jesus–a theme of God speaking through the ages.
St. Pope John Paul, however, adds a piece of understanding that can help the Catholic teaching of Solidarity guide us. He moves our compassion from pity and sympathy which reaches down to help to Solidarity which reaches across. He teaches that we reach across BECAUSE OF THE INHERENT DIGNITY OF EVERY PERSON, BECAUSE EVERY PERSON IS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.
Solidarity offers us a mindset to change our culture of autonomy. What might God do if we, today, could live in Solidarity–holding God’s hand AND holding the hands of those at our doorsteps who are in need with a sense of equality in God? Could we be conduits of grace into our troubled world the way St. Pope John Paul II was?
The Solidarity Solution.
Prayer:
When I am Dives, Lord, help me to reach across to help Lazarus. When I am Lazarus, help me to reach across to help Dives. There need be no chasm between us in this life. Give me the gift of a heart in Solidarity with all, for all of us are equally Your children, equally Your gift, equally Your image, equally Your love.
