After we arrived we used the car every day to get to the beach and cruise the local strip. It was at that point the 'Check Engine ' warning on the dashboard began to light up. My friend, paying more attention to the fun we were having than the oil we were burning, paid no mind to the bright red warning. That is, until he had to.

Yes, we had run out of oil.

Yes, the engine block had cracked. 

Yes, the car was damaged beyond repair.

We had to rent a car to get home.

Nobody's parents were happy.

Not paying attention to warning lights can do that - which is at the heart of Sunday's Gospel and that well-known story of the Rich Man and a poor beggar named Lazarus.

Here we witness the blinding power of wealth and comfort, privilege and prestige, as the Rich Man heartlessly ignores the beggar at his doorstep.

It reminds us of the ways we can get caught up in our own personal pursuits of fulfillment and contentment that we forget others  - those who may be sick, impoverished, addicted, even tortured and enslaved.

We, too, can get lulled into the popular belief that the reason for our prosperity is our own personal contentment, when the reality is that those with 'much' have a moral duty to care for those with 'less.' This is why we have it. This is what we're supposed to do with it.

So what lights are going off on our dashboard?

Is someone waving a red flag?

Are we getting too caught up in ourselves to notice those who are hurting around us?

What might we do about that?