And at the rich man's gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores (Luke 16:20).

Sept. 11, 2001 was a horrific tragedy and terrible crime. More than three thousand people were cruelly murdered. People in the United States have been profoundly shocked and deeply grieved. Are there ways that our response to such an outrage can be redemptive and compassionate in the spirit of Christ?

Our own experience of tremendous suffering provide an opportunity for us to draw close to Jesus for our security--as many of our global sisters and brothers must do daily--and to follow Jesus more closely in loving our neighbors as ourselves. The terrorist attacks can give us a deeper empathy for the suffering of others around the world. As people throughout the United States learn how to more actively care for others, we gain more security as a nation, since this security depends largely on the quality of our relationships with the rest of the world. People suffering from AIDS are especially in need of our empathy and care.

AIDS can be a troubling issue for Christians because sexual promiscuity is the main reason for its spread. Yet many AIDS sufferers were innocent or unwilling sexual partners. Many people with the AIDS virus are women and children. In many places social expectations, economic dependency and physical threats make it almost impossible for women and girls to deny men sex. Wives cannot prevent their husbands' promiscuity or even demand protective measures. In addition, in some countries the rape of children is increasing because infected men believe that sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. These are the horrible realities behind the spread of AIDS.

Yet, the love of Christ extends to the "good and evil alike" (Matthew 5:43-48). We especially reflect the love of God in Christ when we express active compassion in the midst of the most troubling and desperate areas of human struggle. It is important, too, for Christians to know that prevention efforts in many countries increasingly emphasize chastity and marital fidelity, not simply "safe" sex.

Jesus' story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) can be applied to the United States as a nation, as well as to individuals. Compared to so many of the world's peoples, we are the rich man, finely clothed and lavishly fed (vs. 19). In today's shrinking world, AIDS sufferers, hungry and covered with sores, are close by, right at our gate (vs. 20). We can easily reach them with the help they need. The appropriate U.S. share for an effective global AIDS prevention and treatment campaign is little more than $2 billion a year. This is a mere trifle for our country, the cost of one B-1 bomber, a few cents in taxes, crumbs from our table (vs. 21).

In Jesus' story both people die (vs. 22). In the afterlife the very short distance that separated them in life has become a "great chasm" that no one can cross (vs. 26). It is too late for the rich man in torment to receive even a drop of water from Lazarus in paradise. The rich man had the opportunity to close that gap during life, but failed to act. Now he must endure it for eternity.

This is a hard story for us in the United States, where our affluence contrasts so starkly with destitute AIDS sufferers and other desperately impoverished people throughout the world. Yet the God who calls us to transformation also provides us with the grace to respond, step by step. The goodness of God invites us to participate with confidence in God's own work of active compassion in a divided and hurting world (2 Corinthians 8-9).

Questions for Reflection

• What biblical texts show God's special concern for impoverished and suffering people?
• What biblical texts express the role of governments in alleviating human suffering?
• How does reducing global poverty increase world security?
• Who is our neighbor? Is there a trade-off between assisting people in need in the United States and helping impoverished people overseas?
• What steps can we take to "close the gap" between ourselves and impoverished AIDS sufferers?