Our liturgy today picks up right where we left off last Sunday. It is still about making positive choices for the greater good, and that there is no room for the lukewarm. The prophet Amos continues preaching his gloom and doom, as he calls out the complacent. Paul urges Timothy to a life completely opposite that of Amos’ complacent ones, as an athlete competing for the faith to “Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Luke's parable of Lazarus and the rich man, we see someone who is unwilling to do the right thing until he tries to save himself. By then it is too late for him.

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When we listen to the scriptures at liturgy, there is kind of an unspoken idea that we will hear something amazing and uplifting, that will stir our hearts into flame and make us better Catholics, better Christians, better people, as we carry the Living Word of God in our lives. So how surprising is it when when we get a day like today, today when so much seems to run counter to our expectations? Amos warns us about cheating and taking away someone’s rights. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he explains we must pray for everyone, no matter what we think of them, even if they are in a place of power and authority. And Jesus’ praise of the “children of this world” in today’s Gospel passage is really disconcerting!

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If we were reflecting on all of today’s scriptures and wanted to come up with one intimate name for God, perhaps it would be “God of Second Chances.” Over and over we see examples of God offering just that. In Exodus, the Lord is frustrated by the behavior of the people, and Moses, speaking very boldly, has to talk God into calming down and recalling the covenant with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Israel. Psalm 51, “The Miserere,” is the great psalm of repentance and cleansing.

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Wisdom asks us “Who can know God's counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” If we put this in contemporary language, we might say “You haven't got a clue!” There are times when none of us knows what is going on. Life is beyond our understanding. We seek loved ones, mentors, friends, spiritual directors, and therapists to help us comprehend. This is a common theme through all of today’s scriptures.

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