The prophet Amos champions the cause of the poor and speaks of God’s displeasure for injustice against the poor. He is relentless in preaching that wrongs perpetrated against the poor always have repercussions. In this weekend’s first reading, Amos communicates God’s word to the oppressors of the poor that they would be taken into exile not only for actively perpetrating injustice against the poor, but for neglecting to come to their help. We see this repeated in the Gospel story of Lazarus and the rich man. [Click to read more]

I ask that you ponder on the readings for this weekend. Both the First and Gospel readings challenge us to evaluate our attitude to money or material possession. Money is the major contender with God for human hearts. Jesus said, “you cannot serve both God and mammon” (Luke 16:13)... [Click to read more]

The people who came out of Egypt (First Reading) rejoiced at their liberation from slavery, but this joy was short lived. No sooner had they left Egypt than they craved what they perceived to be the good life of Egypt. Their greed and insatiable desires pushed Moses to the edge. They lost sight of God’s promise of freedom and plenty because they wanted things to work according to their own schedule and timing. They wanted to be like the nations that surrounded them, and they wanted a God they could domesticate, rather than a transcendent reality whom they had no grip on. [Click to read more]