Luke 16:19-31.
Why would Jesus leave the rich man in today’s parable unnamed, while the poor
man he calls Lazarus? St. Augustine’s commentary is quite interesting: “The
rich man’s name was well known around, but God kept quiet about it. The other’s
name was lost in obscurity, but God spoke it. God kept quiet about the rich
man’s name because he did not find it written in heaven. He spoke the poor
man’s name because he found it written there, indeed he gave instructions for
it to be written there.” And we ask: Why would this rich man’s name be absent
in heaven? Definitely, it’s not simply because he is wealthy. The rich man
cannot be present in heaven because he doesn’t have the heart of Christ; he has
no compassion for the suffering neighbor.
