Homily by Fr. Richard McCullen, CM at the Scottish Celebration for Feast of St. Vincent dePaul – Carfin 2004
“When we read the parables of Our Lord in which there is a diversity of character, have you ever noticed how we tend to identify with the good and dissociate ourselves from those whom we do not approve.
As you listened to day’s Gospel, were you on the side of the rich man, Dives, or were all your sympathies with Lazarus? Given a choice, would you take your place beside Lazarus or at the table of Dives? Great as were the sufferings of Lazarus, I think we would opt to be close to Lazarus rather than Dives. It can, however, be helpful and at times revealing, if we try to put ourselves in the place of those characters whom we do not approve of and try to make some defence for them.
