…Who is the Lazarus I ignore?
Beloved in Christ, The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is not a distant story — it is a mirror held up to our lives and our society today. The rich man was not condemned for his wealth but for his indifference, for living in comfort while ignoring the suffering at his very doorstep. This is the sin of our time: we build high walls around our hearts and homes, while Lazarus lies outside in hunger, joblessness, and despair. Look around, my brothers and sisters — Lazarus is everywhere. He is the unemployed graduate roaming the streets in search of work. She is the widow denied justice in court because she cannot bribe her way through the system.
He is the child hawking on the highway instead of sitting in a classroom. She is the girl trafficked and exploited because poverty left her defenseless. They are the millions displaced by violence, left to sleep under leaking roofs in IDP camps. This parable calls us to more than pity — it calls us to action. It demands that we dismantle the structures that keep Lazarus at the gate. It urges us to challenge corruption, bad governance, and economic policies that enrich a few while leaving many destitute. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. But this reflection must also begin in the heart.
Each of us must ask: Who is the Lazarus I ignore? Where have I chosen comfort over compassion? What walls must I tear down so that I may encounter Christ in the poor? Every choice we make either widens the chasm between us and God or builds a bridge towards His kingdom. Beloved faithful, you are the salt, light, and leaven that must transform this nation. Do not remain passive. Join efforts that promote good governance, speak for the voiceless, feed the hungry, mentor the young, and resist corruption wherever you find it. The time to act is now. We already have the Word of God and the witness of the Risen Christ. Let us not delay, lest we wake up too late to find the chasm too wide to cross. May our faith move us to courage, and may our courage lead us to love in action.
• Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
