When Does Love Stop?

 

I was reflecting on tomorrow’s Gospel, LK 16:19-31, which is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. 

The rich man feasted every day and ignored Lazarus, who longed to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.  Lazarus ended up in heaven, and the rich man in Hades.  Then the rich man saw Abraham holding Lazarus and begged: “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus with a drop of water.”  But that was not possible.  Then the rich man asked for help for his brothers still on earth.  And Abraham replied: “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.”  And the Gospel concludes: “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

I had been reflecting on love in recent days.  Love is a commitment, and I made a Lenten resolution to love someone, deliberately, each day.  It was the key lesson of Jesus on how to live our life, in self-less love.  So, looking at this Gospel parable I asked myself where is the love?  If Jesus came to show us how to love, why does this parable seem to show no example of love?  Where is the love?

It seems to me that we must make an assumption, that despite being ignored by the rich man, Lazarus bore him no ill will; he loved him even though he was ignored by him --- and so Lazarus ended up in heaven.  And then it seems we must make a second assumption --- no, we must draw a definite conclusion: If Abraham who was a good loving man in heaven could not do anything for the pleading rich man in Hades, we must conclude a key point, a rather startling point:  We can’t love anyone in Hades.

There are all sorts of sayings about love:  Love conquers all; love never stops, never ends; love repairs all wounds.  But those words are a lie.  If someone by his life chose hell, there is not any love which can reach him; there is no easing of his pains.  Hell is forever.  Hell is without love.  Sometimes married people say to each other “I will love you forever.”  If they want that to be true, they should strive to help their mate to get to heaven.  That is what married people are supposed to focus on.

Seeing what happened in the parable brings home the point most strongly:  You want to do all you can while on earth, so that you don’t end up in hell.

Hell is when love stops.