Daily Readings - Sun Sep 28 2025

¹Woe to you who have been wealthy in Zion, and to you who have confidence in the mountain of Samaria: aristocrats, heads of the people, who advance with a retinue into the house of Israel⁴You sleep on beds of ivory, and you are lustful on your couches. You devour lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the herd⁵You sing to the sound of stringed instruments; they consider themselves to have the musical abilities of David⁶You drink wine in bowls, and you anoint with the best ointments; and they suffer nothing over the grief of Joseph⁷Because of this, now they will depart at the head of those who go into captivity; and the faction of the lustful will be removed

1 Timothy

Chapter 6

¹¹But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and truly pursue justice, piety, faith, charity, patience, meekness¹²Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you have been called, and make a good profession of faith in the sight of many witnesses¹³I charge you, in the sight of God, who enlivens all things, and in the sight of Christ Jesus, who gave the testimony of a good profession under Pontius Pilate¹⁴to observe the commandment, immaculately, irreproachably, unto the return of our Lord Jesus Christ¹⁵For at the proper time, he shall reveal the blessed and only Power, the King of kings and the Lord of lords¹⁶who alone holds immortality, and who inhabits the inaccessible light, whom no man has seen, nor even is able to see, to whom is honor and everlasting dominion. Amen

Luke

Chapter 16

¹⁹A certain man was wealthy, and he was clothed in purple and in fine linen. And he feasted splendidly every day²⁰And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores²¹wanting to be filled with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table. But no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his sores²²Then it happened that the beggar died, and he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham. Now the wealthy man also died, and he was entombed in Hell²³Then lifting up his eyes, while he was in torments, he saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom²⁴And crying out, he said: ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue. For I am tortured in this fire.²⁵And Abraham said to him: ‘Son, recall that you received good things in your life, and in comparison, Lazarus received bad things. But now he is consoled, and truly you are tormented²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chaos has been established, so that those who might want to cross from here to you are not able, nor can someone cross from there to here.²⁷And he said: ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers²⁸so that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torments.²⁹And Abraham said to him: ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.³⁰So he said: ‘No, father Abraham. But if someone were to go to them from the dead, they would repent.³¹But he said to him: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe even if someone has resurrected from the dead.’

Sermon

In today’s readings, we are presented with a powerful message about wealth, justice, and the afterlife. The prophet Amos speaks out against the complacent wealthy who ignore the suffering of others, while the Gospel of Luke shares the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, highlighting the eternal consequences of neglecting the poor. The second reading from 1 Timothy encourages us to pursue justice, piety, and faith, reminding us to fight the good fight of faith. Amos’ prophecy is set in a time of prosperity for Israel, yet he condemns those who indulge in luxury while the poor suffer. The rich man in Luke’s parable similarly ignores Lazarus at his gate, leading to his torment in the afterlife. These readings remind us that our wealth and resources are not just for our own comfort but are meant to be shared with those in need. The second reading from 1 Timothy complements this by urging us to live virtuously, emphasizing the importance of justice and faith in our daily lives. As we reflect on these readings, we are called to examine our own lives. How do we use our resources? Do we turn a blind eye to those in need, or do we actively seek to help them? The moral lesson here is clear: our actions have consequences, and we are called to live with empathy and compassion. Let us strive to use our blessings to serve others, remembering that true wealth lies in our relationship with God and our love for one another.