This week’s readings are a true gold mine of spiritual nourishment for the soul. The prophet Amos tells us how in his time there were people who became complacent in their faith and fell into worldly thought and actions. This caused them to drift farther away from God and caring less for the poor. St. Paul reminds young Timothy to be a man of God and to pursue righteousness, faith and gentleness. This is a great definition of what a “manly man should be”. One who leads his family in the right ways and in the Faith. It is not easy. Being a Catholic is to be counter-cultural. Much of our society is enslaved in sin and the illusions of this world, and therefore being a Catholic is often not popular in our culture. We are called to be super – natural people. In the Gospel of St. Luke we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Both men die. {Please note: this story is a great example of Purgatory, as Lazarus goes to Abraham’s bosom, not Heaven, thus showing that there is another place where one awaits entry into Heaven}. The rich man pleads for someone to be sent so the rest of his family does not suffer like he is and perhaps they will believe and change their ways. Abraham responds by saying they have the writings and even if one were to rise from the dead they will not believe. This is a lesson for us as well. Do we value the Sacred scriptures? Do we make our Faith a priority? Do we have a relationship with Jesus, or do we just go through the motions. Take heed to these readings and let us never grow complacent in our Catholicity! Something to think about, and may God richly bless you always…
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