Our gospel reading today brings up an interesting point: Abraham says to the rich man: If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.
This means that for those who lived before the time of Christ listening to and adhering to the words of the Law and the Prophets should be enough to persuade people to live upright lives. "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts!" For this is God speaking plainly and clearly!
With Christ, the voice of God speaking directly – and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets by his brutal death and then glorious resurrection – only those who can reach back and see in the Law and the Prophets the foundation of the New Law of Love based on Jesus' self-sacrificial death – can understand both, can know the power of both, can live lives differently because of what they have heard and have seen demonstrated for them in both!
When one understands that in Christ salvation resides, all hope resides, all motivation to have trust resides – they will be like trees planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes, in years of drought it shows no distress.
We can be like those trees in the first reading today; and we can encourage others to be likewise trees with us - for it is God the Father's desire that we always have all we need, both to sustain and protect us! – and as part of the package one did actually rise from the dead!
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord!
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