Amos 6:1, 4-7 / 1 Tim 6:11-16 / Luke 16:19-31
We know that Singapore is a small country and without much natural resources.
And more than that, Singapore does not produce much food, certainly not enough to feed the population.
And yet, there is one rather surprising phenomenon, and that is we have a thriving food culture.
Almost everywhere and anywhere, we can find restaurants, eateries, food courts and hawker centres.
For a country that does not produce much food, we are noted for a variety of foods from different cultures.
We are really spoiled for choice when comes to food, and we can also be as adventurous as we like.
So, the habit is that we go to the counter or food stall to order our choice of food, eat the meal, and then look forward to the next meal.
But there is one important factor that we may have missed in our food culture.
And that is the people who prepared the ingredients, cooked the food and gave us a meal as well as a good taste.
Without these people, we won't have a thriving food culture.
If we eat to live, then we also must be grateful to the people who are involved in cooking and producing our meals.
In the gospel, Jesus told a parable that points to the need of awareness, of the people around us.
There was this rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen, and feast magnificently every day.
At his gate there was a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who long to fill himself with the scraps that fall from the rich man's table.
We may wonder, why didn't the rich man see Lazarus who was lying at his gate. Is the gate that far off?
Or maybe the rich man was just too focused and obsessed with his clothing and food, that he could not see, and also could not hear anything else.
But later in the parable, when the rich man was tormented in Hades, he begins to see who Lazarus is, and he can even begin to think of the welfare of his five brothers.
The parable gives us a glimpse of what the afterlife is about, of what the next world is like.
But it also teaches us what life is about here in this world.
Life is more than food and clothing and shelter, although these are the very basic human needs.
God will provide for us. Jesus did tell us that God clothed the flowers in the fields with beauty and splendour, and God also feeds the birds of the air even though they don't sow and reap.
The parable calls us to look beyond our needs of food, clothing and shelter, to the needs of the people around us, especially those who are at the so-called gates of our lives.
We see them, they may not be in need of food or clothing or shelter.
But they may be in need of some encouragement and affirmation.
They may be in need of direction and motivation.
They may need to hear a voice to give them a word of hope.
They may need a little act of gentleness to know that God cares for them.
I remember this one particular occasion when I went home for lunch, and my mother as usual, cooked a simple meal.
So, there I was, at the table with my mother, and gobbling away at the food.
Then my mother asked, “Is the food okay?”
I nodded my head, and then she said, “Oh, I thought it was not good because you didn't say anything about it.”
At that instant, I realized that I was just too focused on eating the food, that I forgot about talking with my mother.
So, the next time, when we go to an eatery or restaurant, or to a food court or hawker centre, let us remember this.
Let us remember to look at the people cooking and serving us, and to thank them and even to encourage them.
Let us put into practice what the 2nd reading is telling us: You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle.
Life is more than just food and clothes.
Life is also about seeing who is at the gate, and sharing with them the love and blessings of God.