As a display of creative genius, Dickens allows his readers to wonder what message the rich man from Christ’s parable about Lazarus might desire to preach. In this Christmas ghost story, Marley’s haunting message to Scrooge is that the eternal affliction of the inhabitants of hell is to have lost the ability to participate in the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Justice Demands Responsibility
How we vote matters and our vote results in tangible consequences; but, most importantly, if we want to make a difference, if we want to prevent further traumas, we must make action and prevention our personal responsibility. We cannot delegate responsibility to municipalities and so find ourselves in dereliction of Christian duty.
A Tangible Gospel
Jesus announced the great day of the Lord, the age of redemption, grace, and freedom, the year of jubilee—good news the poor, liberty to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. By His grace, our spiritual eyes were opened to the Truth of heaven, and the blind regained their sight; by His death and resurrection, we were cleansed of sin, and the lepers were healed by His touch. For the life of the Church, the hope of the Gospel has always been both an assured spiritual promise of divine reconciliation as well as a tangible, physical reality ever present in the actions of the redeemed.