Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/475

 name, and  make  it  known  to  the  end  of  the  world;  but the name  of  the  rich  man  He  passed  over  in  silence. "Our Lord,"  says  St. Gregory, "acknowledges  and  approves of  the  humble,  but  He  does  not  know  the  proud." Learn, hence,  to  esteem  uprightness  more  than  worldly riches or  splendor. " The  memory  of  the  just,"  says the Wise  Man,  "  is  with  praises,  but  the  memory  of  the wicked  shall  rot." (Prov. x.  7.)

II. The patience  of  this  saintly  poor  man  was  very great. He was  covered  with  sores,  and  he  endured  their pain without  murmuring. He was  extremely  poor,  "desiring to  be  filled  with  the  crumbs  that  fell  from  the  rich man's  table." He was  contemned  and,  despised,  "and no  one  did  give  him  these  crumbs." He was  so  miserable that  he  suffered  the  dogs  "to  lick  his  sores," or  was perhaps too  weak  to  drive  them  away. Who would  prefer so miserable  an  object  as  this  to  the  rich  man,  "who  is clad  in  purple  and  feasts  sumptuously  every  day?" Our Lord and  Master,  however,  did  so.

III. Lazarus died  happily,  for  he  was  immediately " carried  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom." Thus the tribulations  of  the  just  are  short,  but  their  reward  is eternal. What joys,  riches,  and  honors  did  not  pain, poverty, and  contempt  procure  for  this  beggar! " Let my  soul  die  the  death  of  the  just,  and  my  last  end  be like  to  them." (Num. xxiii.  10.)  Ponder  how  different were the  situations  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  after death; this  difference  was  certainly  greater  then  than during their  lives. The rich  man  was  happy  for  a  moment, but  everlasting  misery  followed;  Lazarus  was wretched for  a  short  time,  but  his  wretchedness  was  followed by  everlasting  glory. Choose that  which  you would wish  to  be  your  portion;  the  choice  is  in  your power now;  it  will  not  be  so,  long.