Luke tells us that Jesus said:
“The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out,
‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, for
I am suffering torment in these flames.’”
Is this a consoling parable, or is it a threatening one?
Is it comforting or is it frightening? I do not want to stand
before the Lord and be sent to the place of torment
with flames that burn forever.
I access my life and review the precepts.
Think of others first; give to those in need with love and tenderness;
spend my time and efforts with those on the fringes
until they no longer need me and then move on to the next place of need;
give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty;
give until it feels good. In my evaluation of myself,
I can feel good, in that I have followed these precepts,
sometimes more graciously than at other times,
depending on my state of being at the time, but overall
I feel I am a candidate for a room in the Father’s House which has many rooms.
As I move on along my pathway I will work harder to do the right things
and carry my share of the cross. I want to earn my place in the netherworld,
a place where no torment will exist for me.
Stanski
April 16, 2025^
Steve Haarman 