Dying rich is no Blessing
By Kevin Palmer
On Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, French tycoon Liliane Bettencourt, the world’s richest women, died. She had a personal fortune estimated by Forbes magazine in March 2017, at $39.5 billion. Ms. Bettencourt died adored, rich and satisfied, while thousands died despised, poor and hungry.
According to Worldhunger.org, “Approximately 9 million people die of world hunger each year.” That is 24,600 preventable deaths each day. According to its reaction, the world cares more about the death of one billionaire than the thousands of deaths from hunger. Nevertheless, dying from hunger or dying rich is the difference between heaven and hell.
Paraphrasing a biblical parable, there was a rich man who lived in luxury every day and a sick beggar named Lazarus who suffered and starved. The time came when Lazarus and the rich man died. The rich man went to Hell and Lazarus went to Abraham’s side in Heaven. In torment, the rich man looked up to Abraham and begged for some relief. Abraham replied; remember that in your lifetime you received good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But, now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
