Lazarus and the Rich Man - in an African Key

The Gospel this past Thursday at Mass was Jesus' parable about Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31). Fr. Lounoi Santino was the main celebrant and homilist; he is a member of the Didinga tribe from the community of Chukudum (click here to see the earlier posting about that village). He shared a fascinating personal anecdote related to the parable. He said that when he was a child and was taught this parable by their local catechist, it was called the story of "Epulone" and Lazarus. That's how the catechist had learned it from the Italian missionaries who taught him. "Epulone," it would seem, is etymologically related to "opulence." This is not unlike the name with which the parable used to be referred in English: "Dives” and Lazarus;" "dives" is the Latin word for rich. In any case, Fr. Santino said that whenever there was a boy who had some kind of special treat that he refused to share with the others, or who seemed better fed and a little more plump than the rest, they would refer to him as "Epulone."

The story was fascinating to me for several reasons. It shows the degree to which the faith of the Church, the Word of God and the Gospel had penetrated the culture of that local community, to the extent that it became part of the way the children would relate to and tease one another. It also offered an interesting, and I think accurate, application of the parable even to the interactions of children of a mountain tribe in a rural area of a poor and undeveloped country in Africa. If a child had a special treat that he or she was selfishly unwilling to share with others who had nothing, they were - at least remotely - like greedy Epulone who refused to share his plenty with Lazarus.

Historically the Didinga community has been predominantly Catholic. I just learned, however, that some Evangelical Christian missionaries have established a presence in the Didinga hills. One can only hope and pray that the Catholic faith which has formed such an integral part of the fabric of Didinga tribal culture will help them remain firm in their commitment to the Church. But this development does beg the question: where are the Catholic missionaries who are willing to take up the banner of their Italian predecessors who so effectively taught the Gospel to past generations?