With 29 days until The Predicament turns 39, we thought we'd start a countdown of sorts. The goal? Take each day's readings and find a way to apply one of the passages to the life of Lino Rulli. And then, we have something VERY special waiting for Lino on October 26...and no, it won't require a restraining order. Yes, we would have done a 39-day countdown since he'll turn 39, but we're not paid for this, and as such, we show signs of laziness now and then, much to our amusement Lino's annoyance. Enjoy!


Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"


In today's readings, the rich man, though burning in Hell, didn't even apologize to Lazarus. Instead of telling Lazarus he was sorry, he tried ordering Lazarus around like a servant. He obviously didn't learn anything despite being tormented.


Lino says on the air that he isn't a rich man. I believe him, but the fact that he can afford his own apartment in NYC seems to say that he's at least comfortable. But despite his material possessions and success in life, Lino is the opposite of this rich man in Jesus' parable. While the rich man ignored those less fortunate, Lino reaches out. He's mentioned on air that he sponsors a child overseas each month, employs a cleaning lady (giving back to our economy), and never mentions lack of tithing as a sin he deals with (but it's something I definitely struggle with.


I believe that if anyone had a sincere, urgent problem, Lino would reach out (he loaned a guy $1,000 and to this day, I don't believe he ever got the money back) and help. He's definitely not like the rich guy. And as such, we can safely assume that Lino won't be burning in Hell anytime soon.