March 20, 2025 - Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

Artist Sister Mary of the Compassion, OP (1908-1977)

Just like any other normal seminarian, I love McDonalds. Some weeks ago, I drove to one of them in a poor neighborhood in Newark that unfortunately has a large homeless population. It happened on a really cold evening; I had just picked up my food and was eager to get inside, away from the wind. As I crossed the parking lot, I noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, his hands cupped together, shivering. Our eyes met for a second, and I looked away. I told myself I had nothing to give him, no cash, no extra food. I was tired, it was late, and surely someone else would help. 

But as I walked past, something in me felt uneasy. I wasn’t cruel to him; I simply ignored him. And that’s what haunts me. Like the rich man in today’s Gospel, I didn’t do anything to him, I just did nothing at all. 

Have you ever been in that situation? Maybe you were busy, maybe you felt uncomfortable, or maybe you assumed someone else would help. In today’s Gospel, the rich man does exactly that: day after day, he ignores Lazarus, the poor man suffering at his doorstep. He never harms him, but he never helps either. And that’s the tragedy. His sin wasn’t cruelty, it was indifference. How often do we fall into the same trap? We convince ourselves that avoiding involvement isn’t the same as doing wrong, yet Jesus shows us that failing to love is itself a failure. 

Lent is a time to open our eyes. To ask ourselves, who is the “Lazarus” in my life? Where am I turning away when God is calling me to act? Trusting in the Lord, as Jeremiah says, means allowing our hearts to be moved, even when it’s inconvenient, even when it costs us something. Jesus asks, “Can you drink this cup,” the cup of self-giving love. It’s not easy, but it’s the path to real life. May this Lent be a time of seeing, loving, and stepping beyond our comfort to care for those at our doorstep. 

O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. (Roman Missal)

Kaique Santos, Seminarian, Diocese of Fall River

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