A Homily on Luke 16:19-31 : Son, Remember ( 28-9-25)

 A powerful homily on Luke 16:19-31 reflecting on Abraham’s words “Son, remember,” urging us to recall our promises, our neighbour, and our God before it is too late. ( 28-9-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

There was once a man who wasted much of his life in drink. His wife suffered silently, carrying the burdens of the family alone. He forgot her tears, the little children waiting for his love, and the promises he once made. Day after day, he returned home drunk, careless of the pain he caused. One day, the sorrow became too much for his wife. She ended her life in despair.

The shock shook the man to his core. He stopped drinking. He began to live quietly, visiting his wife’s tomb every day. He would lay his head on the cold stone and cry, “If only I had remembered earlier.” One day, he felt as if the voice of his wife rose from the grave: “My dear, if only you had stopped drinking earlier, if only you had shown me love while I was alive, I would not have left this world. You should have remembered earlier.” The man wept bitterly. Now he remembered, but it was too late. That memory itself became his punishment.

My dear friends, this is precisely what Abraham tells the rich man in today’s Gospel: “Son, remember.” Hell is not only fire but also a place of memory that evokes a warning; to remember, but when it is too late. To look back and realise: “I had the chance, I had the blessing, I had the time, but I forgot.”

When Abraham says, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things”, he is not condemning the man for being rich. Wealth is not evil in itself. The tragedy is that he forgot the poor man at his gate. He received blessings, but he never shared them. He enjoyed good food but never thought of being hungry. He had warm clothes, but forgot the one shivering outside. He had a beautiful house, but never opened the door to people in need. That is what Abraham asks him to remember.          

This is the warning for us. God gives us time, talents, family, money, and opportunities. They are gifts, but they are also responsibilities. The question is not, “How much did I enjoy?” but, “How much did I share?” One day, each of us will hear the exact words: “Son, remember.”

Think of family life. Husbands and wives make promises on their wedding day — to love, respect, be faithful, and support one another- but how easy it is to forget those promises. Work, pride, selfishness, even small quarrels, can close our eyes to the gift of the other. Then later, when the relationship is broken, when children are wounded, when the home is shattered, we sit alone and cry, “If only I had remembered earlier.” That memory can torment us.

The same is true in religious life. When a person vows chastity, poverty, and obedience, it is an excellent moment of grace. But years later, it is easy to forget the fire of the first calling. We get used to comfort, complain, and close our hearts to prayer. Then, in old age, or in a dry moment, we look back and realise: “I forgot what I promised. I forgot my consecration.” That memory can also torment us.

Even in simple daily life, we are surrounded by people who wait for our love: the lonely neighbour, the low-income family struggling for food, the child who longs for attention, etc.. If we do not notice them now, we will remember them one day. But that memory will be heavy, because it will be too late to change.

In the parable of the prodigal son, when the young man sat in the pigsty, hungry and lost, he suddenly remembered: “In my father’s house even the servants have bread enough.” That memory gave him life, because he remembered at the right time and returned. But in the Gospel today, the rich man remembers too late. That is the difference. Now is the time to remember, not tomorrow, not when it is too late, but today.

So what do we need to remember today? We need to remember our promises. We need to remember our neighbour. We need to remember our God. If we keep this memory alive, our lives will be a blessing. But if we forget, we may have to remember with tears one day.

Let us ask for the grace to live with holy memory. We need to remember people with low incomes before we eat. We need to remember our promises before we break them. To remember our God before we grow cold. Then, when Abraham speaks to us, he will not say “Son, remember your wasted chances,” but “Son, remember your faith, your love, your mercy.” May we remember now, so that we may rejoice forever.

Lord Jesus, help me do things rightly today, so I may not regret tomorrow. Amen.

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