The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to assess our role as followers of Christ in the face of the great divisions between the “haves” and the “have nots” in our modern society.
The Reading from the Prophet Amos declares a Third Woe for those pursuing a luxurious lifestyle.
* [6:2] Calneh…Hamath…Gath: city-states overcome by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C., whose fate should be a lesson to the Israelites. The prophet castigates the leaders for being more intent on pursuing a luxurious lifestyle (vv. 1, 4–6) than reading the signs of the times. (Amos, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Psalm 146 declares there is no other source of strength except the merciful God.
* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter. (Psalms, PSALM 146, n.d.)
The Reading from the First Letter to Timothy consists of Exhortations to Timothy.
* [6:11–16] Timothy’s position demands total dedication to God and faultless witness to Christ (1 Tm 6:11–14) operating from an awareness, through faith, of the coming revelation in Jesus of the invisible God (1 Tm 6:15–16).
* [6:11] Man of God: a title applied to Moses and the prophets (Dt 33:1; 1 Sm 2:27; 1 Kgs 12:22; 13:1; etc.). (1 Timothy, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke shares The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
* [16:19–31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke’s concern with Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:22–23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–21, 24–25).
* [16:19] The oldest Greek manuscript of Luke dating from ca. A.D. 175–225 records the name of the rich man as an abbreviated form of “Nineveh,” but there is very little textual support in other manuscripts for this reading. “Dives” of popular tradition is the Latin Vulgate’s translation for “rich man” (Lk 16:19–31).
* [16:23] The netherworld: see note on Lk 10:15.
* [16:30–31] A foreshadowing in Luke’s gospel of the rejection of the call to repentance even after Jesus’ resurrection. (Amos, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Rev. Jim Caime, SJ, presents a question for us: “Who is Lazarus at our gate? And will we have eyes to see them?”
When I worked in New Orleans I once sang with a choir at a men’s shelter on Martin Luther King Day. Our choir was part of a group of area choirs. We sang Janèt Sullivan Whitaker’s song “The Least of These” (Link attached ). At first, I worried we had chosen the wrong song. While the gospel choirs had the men clapping and cheering, our song left them sitting in silence. It was only a few moments later, as I looked more closely, that I saw they weren’t unmoved. They were in tears. The men told me it was the first time they had felt seen. There was even a song about them that moved their hearts. Someone had captured the pain in their hearts and gave voice to it so others might see. For once, they were not invisible. They were seen. (Caime, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Creator of both rich and poor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 3540-430 A.D.
"God made both the rich and the poor. So the rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk on the way together. Do not oppress or defraud anyone. One may be needy and another may have plenty. But the Lord is the maker of them both. Through the person who has, He helps the one who needs - and through the person who does not have, He tests the one who has." (excerpt from Sermon 35, 7) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Amos preached about social injustice. He chastised gluttons while the people were starving. He declared a terrible calamity will come! Timothy, in the name of Paul, exhorts us to live holy lives of witness. He uses the Greek word “martyria” that means “martyr.” to advise us to die to ourselves while awaiting Jesus' return. Luke introduces the rich man with no name indicating that Lazarus is much more important. The purple robes were only able to be worn by the very rich. Lazarus is in the Bosom of Abraham, a special place and a seat of honour The rich man is punished for lack of charity. He seeks a few drops of water but the impassable chasm makes it impossible. His brothers have Moses the prophets and even someone rising from the dead. The tenor of the parable, from Jesus Himself, asks: “Do we reach out to those who need our help?”
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 16:19-31 notes that Jesus is telling us that the word of God can change even the hardest of hearts. Through the commandments God gave to Moses, he told us to be kind and generous toward those in need. And through the words of the prophets, he revealed his own heart for those who are vulnerable and neglected. Now he tells us that if we sit with these words and let them sink into our hearts, his Spirit will draw us out of our own selfishness. He will help us reach out of ourselves and share his love and generosity with anyone who is hurting.
What is Jesus saying to you today? Is there a word or phrase from one of today’s Mass readings that is standing out to you? Take that word and ponder it, even if you’re not sure what has drawn you to it. Be patient. Be open. Let almighty God speak to you.
“Lord, open my ears to your word! Open my heart to your call!” (Meditation on Luke 16:19-31, n.d.)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how the teachings of Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) became the foundation of Franciscan spirituality.
As a result, Franciscan spirituality has never been an abstraction. It is grounded in Jesus’ specific instructions to his disciples, not ideology or denominational certitudes. Francis’ living of the gospel was just that: a simple lifestyle. It was the incarnation of Jesus Christ continuing in space and time. It was the presence of the Spirit taken as if it were true. It was being Jesus more than just worshiping Jesus. At its best, Franciscan life is not words or even ethics. It is flesh—naked, vulnerable flesh—unable to deny its limitations, unable to cover its wounds. Francis called this inner nakedness “poverty.”
This pure vision of life attracted thousands to a new freedom in the church and in ministry. Religious communities had become more and more entangled with stipends and rich land holdings. Members lived individually simple lives but were corporately secure and even comfortable. Mendicant (begging) orders like the Franciscans were created to break that dangerous marriage between ministry and money. Francis didn’t want his friars to preach salvation (although they did that, too) as much as he wanted them to be salvation. He wanted them to model and mirror the life of Jesus in the world, with all of the vulnerability that would entail. That is why many people often attribute the saying “preach the gospel at all times, and when absolutely necessary use words” to describe Francis’ desire to live the gospel in every moment. [5] (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit to be responsive to the needs presented to us to be healing and help to the “Lazarus” we encounter on our journey.
References
Amos, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/6?1
Caime, J. (n.d.). Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-28-2025
Luke, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?19
Meditation on Luke 16:19-31. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/09/28/1392146/
1 Timothy, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/6?11
Psalms, PSALM 146. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/146?7
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/francis-and-the-gospel/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lazarus Was Carried to Abraham's Bosom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 28, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep28
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