Amos and Jesus are continuing their discourse from last week. Paul is advising Timothy to follow the
righteousness, which Jesus proclaimed in order to give us an easy passage to the Parousia, his expected second coming. All these, the prophesy, the parable of the rich man and the Pauline instruction highlight the stewardship to which we are called and appointed.
We are invited to care. Our existence on earth cannot be and should not be an existence for the self alone. We are here on earth as humans, to be together, in communion and definitely caring. Apparently the rich man did not do anything wrong; he just enjoyed the wealth which seemed to be his own. However, what he did not do was that he did not care for the poor man lying at his gate and being visited by dogs, and who was starving and suffering all the day and night.
In reality all the wealth that the rich man came to possesses did not belong to him in accordance to the righteousness of God. He was just a steward and the poor man there was one he should have cared and provided for. He still could have been dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously, but should have also cared for others at least with his surpluses and excesses. He did not do that and so is condemned.
Prophet Amos was listing a few things, again on the face of them, no one was wrong, and none was sinful. However they were selected first to be sent into exile just because they did not care, they were relaxing, appropriating many good things to themselves to the exclusion of others, who too deserved a share of what they appropriated or misappropriated. They were relaxing and enjoying themselves for a long time and probably not doing enough to earn what they were enjoying, and with little preparation on their part the judgement came upon them and they were carried away.
Definitely our God is the saving God just as he was for Israelites. Apparently the Israelites of Amos
prophecy made it difficult for God to save them and God had to take the long and torturous route to bring
them back to sanity and salvation. On our part, in spite of God being so kind and compassionate, it is good for us not to take God for granted, not to think that there is no God. He is there, He is our Father and friend. But he is also our God, our creator and the one who gave us everything we have and made of us what we are. It is good to join the psalmist in saying “Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Fr. George