<p>16:31 <i>And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, even if one rises from the dead</i>- See on Lk. 24:11. &quot;Persuaded&quot; is parallel with &quot;repent&quot; (:30). Repentance is a persuasion; whether it takes seconds, minutes or years, we are persuaded towards it.<br />The parable of the rich man and the poor beggar Lazarus surely carried with it the message that we ought to be generous to the poor; and that there is a need to do this in view of the judgment to come and sense of the future we may miss because of our selfishness in this life. The condemned rich man wanted to warn others of the need to be generous to the poor so that they would not be condemned. The Lord's comment was that it was His resurrection from the dead which was intended to &quot;persuade&quot; people of this (Lk. 16:31). Accepting the import of His resurrection therefore should result in our being &quot;persuaded&quot; towards a life of generosity to the marginal- just, of course, as the Lord's death and resurrection was God's grace to us, the marginal beggars in spiritual terms.</p>