“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:30-31
“It is common for societies that are nominally Christian or have a Christian background to locate the concepts of repentance and conversion within the sphere of religious language. They are conceived of as breaks in the daily march of life, a reflection of the attitudes, mentality, conduct; a recognition of errors; a change in one’s way of thinking and acting; a turning to God, and so on.
For repentance and conversion to be considered authentic, they must include all spheres of life: thought, sentiment, language, interpersonal relations, labor, and of course, economics. This is where major problems tned to arise, for egotism is manifested fundamentally in the sphere of goods, money, capital, treasure, and possessions.”
René Krüger in “Conversion of the Pocketbook: The Economic Project of Luke’s Gospel” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 169.
While sitting in Guatemala on the final morning of my visit, a poor country with amazing people, today’s Scripture strikes a chord with me. Jesus basically says that if the rich do not care about the poor, even a dead person coming back to life will not shake and wake them to repent of their egotism. That’s a strong statement.
When I board a plane later today, I will be transported back to the States. After reading Krüger’s thoughts, I am struck that the only right path to take is to ask God where repentance and conversion is necessary in my own life? As my eyes have been opened, what will I do about it? How will this experience shape my generosity?
There is one thing I know I will continue to do. After a fantastic trip with fruits that exceeded expectations, I will continue to help those in the majority world, like poor Lazarus in the parable, not with a handout that would create dependency but with a hand up to build them up as disciples. God show me areas for repentance and conversion. Amen.