{"id":895,"date":"2019-09-18T10:49:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T10:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=895"},"modified":"2019-09-18T10:49:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T10:49:49","slug":"22-september-2019-c-twenty-fifth-sunday-of-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundayscriptureonline.com\/?p=895","title":{"rendered":"22 September 2019 (C) Twenty-Fifth SUNDAY of Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A. The Bible as Guide in Life\nand Liturgy (Sunday Readings)<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Reflection\n& Dialogue: <\/strong>Prayer, faith, danger of addiction to wealth<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. The Bible as Guide in Life\nand Liturgy (Sunday Readings)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading <\/em>(Amos 8:4-7). Against those who \u201cbuy up the poor for money\u201d.<\/em> Amos was a\nsheep-farmer and a tender of fruit trees in the southern kingdom\nof Judah and was called by God to\nleave his flocks and prophesy against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and at\nthe royal sanctuary at Bethel.\nThis was in the mid-eighth century BC. It was a period in which Israel had\nexpanded and become very wealthy, but one in which the rich exploited the poor,\nand made a show of rich liturgical services with scant respect for the demands of\nGod\u2019s commandments. It was a time of war, and serious war crimes among the\nsmall surrounding nations. Amos fearlessly denounced these crimes in God\u2019s name\nand was equally fearless in denouncing Israel\u2019s serious failures. They\nwould be punished by God for their sins, and so they were with the destruction\nthe state, its capital and its shrines in 722-721. Today\u2019s reading illustrates\nthe greed of the wealthy for gain, marketing at a profit preferably without\ninterruption by the required abstention from trade on the New Moons (first of\nthe month) and the sabbaths. They were fraudulent in the business transactions\nwith their weights, prices (bushel, ephah, shekel) and scales. The poor and the\nneedy were expendable, to be exploited for the benefit if the rich. The Lord\nswears by \u201cthe pride of Jacob\u201d, that is possibly by himself, or maybe by the\narrogance of Israel, or even by the Holy Land itself, swears that the poor will\nbe vindicated..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsorial Psalm <\/em>(Psalm 112[113]). Praise the Lord, who raises the poor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Reading <\/em>(1 Timothy 2:1-8). There should be prayers offered for everyone\nto God, who wants everyone to be saved.<\/em> It is well to seek to understand\nthis reading against its historical background. The Pastoral Letters, of which\nthis reading forms part, were addressed to churches within the highly organized\nRoman Empire, with a divine emperor at its\nhead. The Church had to remain conscious of, and faithful to, its origin and\nmission, originating in Jesus Christ sole mediator between God and the human\nrace and with the mission to bring the Gospel message to all people. It had to\nretain and solidify its identity as God\u2019s people, but now quite conscious of\nthe larger political world within which it found itself as a tiny minority.\nThis reading gives directives on these matters, here as elsewhere stressing universality\nand inclusiveness. First and foremost come prayers, of various kinds, and for\neveryone, but especially for those in authority, including the Emperor who at\nthe time may have been Nero. They would pray that the civil authorities would\nallow Christian live the Christian life in peace, without criminal charges. The\nreason for this universal prayer is also given: for the salvation of all and\nthat they may come to a knowledge of the truth, of the Christian faith\nundoubtedly. The fundamental truth of Christ as sole mediator between God and\nthe human race is reaffirmed. Christ himself had said that he had come to \u201cgive\nhis life as a ransom for many\u201d (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28). In keeping with his\nstyle, and perspective, the author of the Pastorals is inclusive: Christ gave\nhis life as a ransom for all. Christ Jesus was witness by his sacrifice as\nransom for universal salvation in his time, that appointed by God, and Paul was\nchosen herald and apostle and the teacher of this faith and truth to the\npagans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gospel<\/em> (Luke 16:1-13). You cannot be the slave of both God and\nmoney. <\/em>At times one would wish that the Sunday liturgy only presented\nGospel readings that were easily understood. In the current lectionary we are\ngiven some readings that require thought, and some explanation, to be\nintelligible. This present reading is one such. The opening parable is regarded\nby some scholars as noteworthy for its obscurity. This reading is also somewhat\nobscure in that the parable has appended to it some sayings of Jesus not of one\nsort. First of all we have the parable, which seems to end with the words \u201cthe\nmaster praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness\u201d. A central point of\nthe parable is the desire of the crafty, astute, even unjust, steward to have some\npeople to welcome him into their houses when he is dismissed from office. With\nthis in mind he reduces the amounts due to his master from \u201ca hundred measures\nof oil\u201d (NRSV: \u201ca hundred jugs of olive oil\u201d) to fifty, and \u201ca hundred measures\nof wheat\u201d (NRSV: \u201ca hundred containers of wheat\u201d) to eighty. He is praised by\n\u201cthe master\u201d for his astuteness, the master probably being the one about to\ndismiss him, which is rather strange. Or the master may be Jesus. In either\ncase Jesus is not condoning or advocating action like that of the steward. The\ncentral point of the parable is the steward\u2019s desire to use material good to\nensure a place of reception at a later stage. It is this Jesus takes up,\ncomparing the astute action of humans (\u201cchildren of this world\u201d) with regard to\ntheir future with those enlightened by God, the children of light, a\ndesignation used of themselves by members of the Qumran community (as distinct\nfrom the enemies, \u201cthe children of darkness\u201d). The text goes on to give sayings\nof Jesus on the use of money (mammon<\/em>),\nmaterial goods, all in relation to points made in the parable. Money, called\ntainted, should be used to gain friends in \u201cthe tents of eternity\u201d, treasures\nin heaven through almsgiving. The steward\u2019s untrustworthiness leads to saying\non trust, and a warning that untrustworthiness, dishonesty, with money,\nmaterial wealth, is a grave danger to spiritual values. The sayings end with\nthe well-known one on two masters and that a person cannot be the slave of both\nGod and money<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. Reflection & Dialogue<\/strong>: Prayer,\nfaith, danger of addiction to wealth<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Reflection. Prayer and faith.<\/em> Today\u2019s Sunday readings present an ideal opportunity of\ncombining reflection and dialogue with modern life. The situation reflected by\nthe Pastoral Epistles, of which 1 Timothy is one, is that in which the\nChristian movement had passed beyond individual churches, such as Corinth,\nThessalonica, Philippi, Rome to one in which its numbers have increased and\nthat it is now conscious of being communities belonging to a larger world\nChurch. They must reflect on how to act within a highly organized civil society\nwhile remaining faithful to the church\u2019s origin and mission. The first call is\nto prayer, a community activity but also one for all society; prayer in its\nvarious forms, petitions, intercession, and thanksgiving, with no anger or\nargument. With this, or rather as source of this, goes firm faith in Jesus, his\natoning death, and the mission of the Church to be witness of this to all\npeoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The Gospel\nreading centres on the dangers of allowing money or wealth to be our masters.\nIt is easy to have this lead to dialogue with modern life. From recent history\nwe know only too well how the pursuit of wealth has destroyed eminent persons,\nand whole societies. It can lead to crass materialism and neglect or denial of\nthe spiritual. Our present Holy Father has called attention to this, and has\nexhorted priests and others to turn to a life of Gospel simplicity. Some\npolitical leaders, with no strong religious affiliations, are doing the same.\nThere are some eminent examples, of course, of the wealthy and millionaires who\ngive lavishly to voluntary causes, and to the poor. Jesus stresses the value of\nhaving mammon, money, wealth, lead to almsgiving, to aid for the poor. It is to\nbe hoped that the Gospel message of the danger of mammon becoming a\ntask-master, leading to bondage, will be noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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