Daily Bible Reflections

[evolution8]

Thursday, September 20, 2007
[i]
[b]“[God] has not punished us as our sins should be punished.â€

[evolution8]

Friday, September 21, 2007

[i][b]“He lets me rest in green pastures.â€

[evolution8]

Saturday, September 22, 2007
[i]
[b]“Abide in My love.â€

[evolution8]

Sunday, September 23, 2007
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

R e f l e c t i o n

1st Reading: Amos 8:4-7


Amos excoriates the people who destroy the poor and at the same time practice injustice/greed to make a profit, sell the laborer short, endanger peoples' lives, and make people no more than indentured servants. Even at worship all they think about is how to make more money in unjust ways. God will never forget a single thing they have done to the poorest and the least. (We are among the richest nations of the earth, by far, and the least generous in giving even when disaster strikes-what does our God see us doing?)
These readings declare that we are Christian but that we live in a world that is not and we must together reveal our being Christian in our words/deeds/action. We are not to just singly make do when our nation/country defies God and practices what God finds abhorrent in regard to economic justice, the basic necessities of life for all, and life itself with human dignity.

Jesus tells the story of a manager who cheats his master, and at the same time, ingratiates himself with his master's customers/debtors. He is going to be dismissed (in his greed, he overstepped the profit he took-more than his master's share). So he brings in each of the debtors and substantially drops what they owe (you can see how much he was raking in). Thus he makes friends who will provide for him when he is out of a job. The master recognizes his astuteness and praises him. And us-what have we done with what our God has shared with us? Do we make a profit on the side for ourselves? Can we be trusted with the treasures of God-the poor, the little ones, the crucified ones, those who are the presence of God among us?

2nd Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

Jesus told his disciples, "There was a rich man whose steward was reported to him for fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him: 'What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service for it is about to be terminated.'
"The steward thought to himself: 'What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do: I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be some people to welcome me into their house.'

"So he called his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first who came: 'How much do you owe my master?' The reply was: 'A hundred jars of oil.' The steward said: 'Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write there fifty.' To the second he put the same question: 'How much do you owe?' The answer was: 'A thousand measures of wheat.' Then he said: 'Take your bill and write eight hundred.'

"The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light. And so I tell you: use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes.

"Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones. So if you have not been trust-worthy in handling filthy money, who could entrust you with true wealth? And if you have not been trustworthy with things which are not really yours, who will give you the wealth which is your own?

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money."

Source

[evolution8]

Monday, September 24, 2007
[i]
[b]“As he thinks in his heart, so he is.â€

[evolution8]

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
[i][b]
“In humility consider others better than yourselves.â€

[evolution8]

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
[i]
[b]“Those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved.â€

[Ben Kenobi]

[quote]
He says if you endure. An accurate rendering would be, “If you hang in there until the end…if you go the distance.â€

[evolution8]

Thursday, September 27, 2007

[i][b]“Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.â€

[evolution8]

Friday, September 28, 2007
[i][b]
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.â€

[evolution8]

Saturday, September 29, 2007
[i][b]
“Come near to God and God will come near to you.â€

[evolution8]

Sunday, September 30, 2007
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Amos 6:1, 4-7
2nd Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees, "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 Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. From hell 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
Again Amos goes after the rich, the complacent, those who feast, who live luxuriously, wasting money on clothes, shelter, feasts, pleasures, hedonism. They care nothing about the collapse of Joseph-the poor of the land. So they will be the first to go into exile and know hardship. Their insensitivity and wanton revelry will soon be over. What do we waste billions of dollars on, while the world starves, goes without water, lives in misery and violence? We are called the men and women of God. Do we look like what Timothy has been called to practice and witness to in his world? God gives life to all. Do we make sure that all have life by our faithfulness to God, our steadfastness in everlasting life that we share with others? This is our charge and the way we fulfill our profession of faith-by giving/sharing life with all.

We hear the story of Dives (rich) and Lazarus who is miserably poor. What separates them in their lives/religion is a gate/fence. Lazarus longs for scraps and has only dogs for company and Dives is unaware and cares not for even his own (Jewish countryman). They both die and Lazarus knows the fullness of life and Dives knows only torment. He still does not see Lazarus as a beloved child of God, only a servant to help him out. He cries out to send someone to tell his brothers. But Abraham (father of faith) tells him sternly that his brothers/like him had the prophets to listen to but they didn't. They won't listen to someone who comes back from the dead. Have we listened to the prophets? If we haven't then have we really ever listened to the prophet Jesus who has come back to life?

Source

[evolution8]

Monday, October 01, 2007
[i]
[b]“He gave…to each according to his ability.â€

[evolution8]

Tuesday, October 02, 2007
[i][b]
“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.â€

[evolution8]

Wednesday, October 03, 2007
[i][b]
“Come to me…and I will give you rest.â€