Fresh Dew Media

 26^th Sunday, Year C: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

The Sin of Omission: A Silent Path to Eternal Loss

Reading: Amos 6:1a,4-7; 1Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31

Dear friends in Christ, when we speak of sin, we frequently think of the sins of commission—our actions against God and our fellow human beings. But we rarely reflect on sins of omission – the good we fail to do. This Sunday’s readings highlight the grave consequences of omission, including selfishness, negligence, and the failure to place our blessings at the service of others.

The readings warn us that selfishness and living extravagantly while ignoring the poor and needy is not just unkind, but it is also a serious sin that can lead to eternal punishment from God. The readings reiterate the responsibility of the rich towards the poor, reminding us that wealth without active help towards the poor is not success, but spiritual failure.

In the first reading, the prophet Amos delivers a piercing rebuke to those who grow rich at the expense of the poor, and to those who use their time and resources solely for themselves. Amos proclaims that such people will face exile—not merely physical, but spiritual exile—for their failure to care for their suffering brothers and sisters. His message is clear and deeply challenging.

In the Gospel, Jesus reinforces Amos’s prophecy through the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man, surrounded by luxury and comfort, ignored the suffering Lazarus, who lay at his gate, longing for crumbs. His punishment was not for being wealthy, nor for hosting lavish feasts, but for his failure to act—for his sin of omission.

Perhaps the rich man reasoned that Lazarus’s poverty wasn’t his fault, so it wasn’t his responsibility, the same way many people reason or feel when the poor, the sick and the needy approach them for help. But Jesus teaches us that neglecting those in need—regardless of how they came to be in need—is enough to merit eternal death. Our streets, neighbourhoods, and communities are filled with people who have various degrees of need for help. Let us not turn away. Let us not use our resources only for ourselves and our families. Amos cried out because the rich were feasting in ivory palaces while the poor starved just outside their doors.

There’s another striking lesson in the parable. Did you notice that the rich man wasn’t called a proper name? Jesus mentioned Lazarus, Abraham, and Moses—but not the name of the rich man. It’s as if his name was missing from the book of life. Though he may have had streets, plazas, and monuments named after him on earth, he failed to secure a name for himself in heaven. Dear friends, let us not strive to immortalize our names here on earth, but in heaven. The best way to do that is not through titles or having buildings, streets, city centres, or monuments named after us, but by inscribing our names on the hearts of the poor through acts of love and mercy.

Furthermore, while alive, the rich man kept his distance from Lazarus to preserve his status. But in death, suffering in hell, he begged for that distance to be closed. Sadly, it was too late.

Let us act now, while the sun still shines. Let us build bridges and close the gaps that social status and pride have created between us and others. Tomorrow may be too late. What we fail to do today may never be done once our time on earth ends.

Finally, this parable affirms the reality of heaven and hell. Many voices in our world try to dismiss these truths, and many fall for their lies. But we are like the rich man’s five brothers—we have our Moses and our prophets. We hear the Word of God preached to us daily, which is the voice of the One who is already risen from the dead. Let no one deceive us into thinking heaven and hell are myths. They are real. And those in hell do not want us to follow them.

Let us put this homily and every homily we’ve heard into practice. Let us live with compassion, humility, and urgency. Let us start now to write our names on the faces of the poor by rendering godly services to them. Let us not wait until it’s too late.

Peace be with you. May you have a blessed Sunday.

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima