Reflection on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I will admit to not knowing much about the prophet Amos, but I was intrigued by the sentences that talk of the people who were living very well while Joseph was collapsing. Amos was an uneducated shepherd from a village in Judah, not someone with a priestly or leadership background. But he was chosen to deliver a prophetic message. One commentator wrote that “Amos can see that beneath Israel’s prosperity and power, internally the nation is corrupt to the core. The sins for which Amos chastens the people are extensive: neglect of God’s word, greed, corrupted leadership and oppression of the poor.”

That situation reminded me of our own situation where so many seem blind to the suffering here in the U.S. and around the world. And I thought of the prophetic and critical voices today who are often drowned out by more powerful forces. And yet, like Amos, they continue to speak truth to power. 

I had to look up the meaning of noble confession when I read the second reading. I don’t remember that phrase when I heard this reading before so perhaps it is a new phrase in this reading, or it didn’t register with me in the past. It means “a courageous and public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ.” In the Letter to Timothy Paul says, “Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” It encourages Christians to actively engage in their faith, pursue righteousness and to hold onto the promise of eternal life that they were promised. It calls for a spiritual battle, not for personal gain, but to uphold and spread the faith in the face of opposition from the world. Is that not what a prophet is also called to do?

It calls on all of us to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.”  I think a profession of vows in religious life is a form of noble confession. So is an adult Baptism, Confirmation, a liturgy or celebration of the Eucharist, a funeral Mass among other Church rituals. I also think there are countless Christians these days who are actively and publicly anything but complacent, who are standing up publicly in faith in the face of opposition and consequences from the world, from civil authorities and individual acts of violence by people who think or feel differently. And some are standing up despite their fears, just like the early disciples and apostles.

And all of this reminds me of my own learnings at the age of 18 when I first started to protest the Vietnam War. I learned to hate the war, but not the soldiers who were serving their country on both sides. We have been taught to hate the sin, but not the sinner. These days we are called to despise unjust policies without despising the policy makers.

The Gospel reading had me thinking about who are the modern-day rich men in the story and who are the Lazaruses of the story. It is easy to make lists these days, and it is tempting to think about some of the modern-day rich men being tormented in the netherworld. It is sometimes (often) necessary for me to move away from my emotional judgment of someone I think is being unjust and try to reframe my thinking and my response. 

And then I recall the words of Pope Francis who said, “Who am I to judge?” Judging someone we don’t know well is sometimes so much easier than loving that person in spite of who they are at the moment. We are better, although not perfect, at finding room for patience and understanding with those we already know and love. I am much more patient with my family members, who I love, even though they think I am a naïve and well-meaning bleeding heart.

I am not sure most prophets spoke from a place of moral superiority as much as from a place of humility and willingness to do as God asked. They may have been willing, in an act of fidelity, but I doubt they were eager to deliver the not so good news to their people or their leaders. And then, like now, I can imagine prophets wondering how effective their message would be and who would actually listen and agree to changes, especially difficult ones.

We know we can’t make decisions on what actions to take based solely on whether we think they will be successful. Sometimes we take the action because we know it is the right thing to do, whether it is successful or not. Choosing not to do it will change us, and we will not be happy with that change. And so we will continue to care for Earth and all her inhabitants, write letters to elected officials, we will stand or sit on street corners and spread the word about unjust policies, and we will pray because people’s lives depend on those prayers. 

It is our call to witness to the Gospels which proclaim God’s presence throughout creation and in each person. And we will respond to that call by being as faithful, loving, patient and gentle as we can be.