＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

 Amos 6: 1a, 4-7

Woe to those proud people who live, overconfident on the hill of Samaria!

 Woe to you, men of renown, from the first among the nations, to whom the people of Israel come!

 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and sprawl on your couches; you eat lamb from the flock and veal from calves fattened in the stall.

You strum on your harps, and like David, try out new musical instruments.

You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you do not grieve over the ruins of Joseph.

Therefore you will be the first to go into exile; and the feast of sprawlers will be over.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

 1Timothy 6: 11-16

But you, man of God, shun all this. Strive to be holy and godly. Live in faith and love, with endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith and win everlasting life to which you were called when you made the good profession of faith in the presence of so many witnesses.

Now, in the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Jesus Christ who expressed before Pontius Pilate, the authentic Profession of faith: preserve the revealed message to all.

Keep yourself pure and blameless, until the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who God will bring about at the proper time, he, the magnificent sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords. To him, alone immortal, who lives in unapproachable light and whom no one has ever seen or can see, to him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

 Luke 16: 19-31

Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day.  At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores,   who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores.

 It happened that the poor man died and angels carried him to take his place with the netherworld where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest.He called out: ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus with the tip of his finger dipped in water to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.’

Abraham replied: ‘My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us.’

The rich man implored once more: ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father’s house  where my five brothers live. Let him warn them so that they may not end up in this place of torment.’  Abraham replied: ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’  

But the rich man said: ‘No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham said: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be con­vinced even if someone rises from the grave.’”

 

Reflection gospel：

READ: The prophet Amos boldly denounces the lifestyle of those who live in comfort and affluence. In his letter to Timothy, Paul counsels to strive to be holy, living in faith and love, and blameless. Luke narrates a contrasting lot of a rich man and Lazarus, here and in the afterlife.

REFLECT: The parable of the rich man and Lazarus showcases the outcome of the failure to undergo conversion to faith in Jesus and the Good News. Without conversion, the rich man continues to live in his comfortable life while ignoring and taking no action to relieve Lazarus from his situation. The consequence: he found himself in eternal fire. Conversion would include loving and caring for those that God loves.

It involves taking concrete actions to care for and protect others, especially the poor. God, who takes notice of the suffering and pain of the poor, the needy, and the neglected, acts to liberate them from their situation. That is why conversion to the Good News would also include participating in or becoming an instrument of God’s liberating action.

To a converted person, to live a life of comfort and affluence and to remain silent while a great number of peoples suffers injustices and abuse, and another numerous number of people languishes in misery and poverty, is unacceptable.

PRAY: Loving God, may we, in our simple or great ways, contribute in alleviating the suffering of your “little ones.”

ACT: Take part in social justice and eco-justice works.