By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN
www.nordis.net

If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death. — Luke 16:31

Extravagant Meals

One of the latest controversies against the Arroyo Administration is about the one million peso ($20,000) meal President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gave to her chosen ones at Le Cirque, one of the most expensive restaurants in downtown Manhattan, New York City, as reported by New York Post and picked up by the local media.   Malacañang tried to justify the luxurious meal by saying that it was a gift of Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez in celebration of the First Couple’s wedding anniversary. Press Secretary Cerge Remolde also tried to downplay the issue by considering the meal as an ordinary “simple meal” blown up by the media.

Then, the Washington Post also came out with a report that President Arroyo’s group also had another luxurious meal worth seven hundred thousand pesos ($15,000) at the Bobby Van’s Steakhouse in Washington hours after the President’s meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House. According to the report, at the conclusion of the meal an unidentified woman opened a handbag stuffed with cash, counted out bills and paid the $15,000 tab, which included a generous tip. Would it be possible that this same woman paid the dinner in New York, and not Leyte Representative Romualdez as claimed by Malacañang?

Based on the reports, eating luxurious meals in expensive restaurants abroad was not just an occasional activity whenever the President was out of the country.

Apparently, it was its way of life. The recent US trip might not be the first time President Arroyo and her entourage had such lavish meals in expensive restaurants abroad. No wonder Malacañang yes-men would simply regard it as an ordinary thing.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

There is a beautiful parable in the Gospel of Luke (16:19-31) that fittingly mirrors the ostentatious meals of the Arroyo Administration. The story goes this way: “There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come to lick his sores” (Lk. 16:19-21).

“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades (the world of the dead) where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, “Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!”

“But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’

“The rich man said, ‘Then, I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.”

“Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say. ‘ The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins. ‘ But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’”

This parable is meant not only for the Early Church, but also for us today, in fact for all times, especially in times when a few people live in great luxury while the many live in poverty. This parable is meant not to show to us the temperature of heaven and hell, rather it is meant for us to see the evil and sinful nature of luxury amidst hunger and poverty. Just change the characters in the story and the parable becomes very contemporary.
Great luxury amid poverty
According to the story, the rich man did nothing wrong to the poor man Lazarus; he was simply living a luxurious life while Lazarus was experiencing pain of sickness and hunger. President Arroyo and her chosen ones did nothing wrong against the Filipino people; they simply ate luxuriously while many Filipino families went to bed hungry.

As mentioned by a lot of people, the issue concerning the luxurious meals in New York and Washington is not whether or not President Arroyo and Representative Romualdez have the right to ostentatious display of their enormous wealth in world-class restaurants by sponsoring luxurious meals. The issue is not whether or not President Arroyo has the legal right to accept a lavish gift or even the right to eat expensive meals in expensive restaurants reserved only for the wealthy and the famous.

The real issue here is the fact that the extravagant meals were held when the whole nation, as a matter of fact, the whole world, was in mourn for the death of President Cory Aquino, the icon of democracy, who spent her life fighting corruption in government and advocating by example a simple lifestyle for government officials, despite the fact that she herself belonged to a rich family. The real issue here is the fact that the extravagant meals were held while there was, and still is, a global crisis and a lot of Filipino families go to bed without food in their stomachs while President Arroyo and her chosen ones were enjoying themselves eating extravagant food in expensive restaurants abroad.

The real theological issue here is the fact that it is sinful and immoral to eat lavishly while others have nothing at all. This is a sin of omission; a sin of insensitivity.

Difficult to convince

The point of the parable is the fact that we are the five brothers referred to by the rich man, who are difficult to be convinced; even if a man would rise from death, we would not listen at all.  We are difficult to be convinced that it is sinful and immoral to be wealthy and extravagant while a lot of people are wallowing in poverty. We are difficult to be convinced that such kind of life would lead us to have a deep pit of separation between us and the Filipino people — the Lazarus of our time. 

It is outrageous, indeed, to here the Malacañang yes-men justifying the ostentatious display of extravagance, instead of accepting their insensitivity and humbly ask for the people’s forgiveness and mend their ways.

Father Abraham said to the rich man, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.” The prophets today are the people in the media.

Like the prophets of old, they are the courageous bearers of messages concerning the “signs of the times.” If those in power would not listen to the messages coming from the media, and would not repent and mend their ways, then chances are that they would fall into a deep pit of separation between them and the people whom they are supposed to serve. And surely, they would experience the heat of being in hell. # nordis.net