Lectionary: 377
Reading 1
Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
Thus says the LORD:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.
Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50:16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23
R. (22a) Remember this, you who never think of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
“When you see a thief, you keep pace with him,
and with adulterers you throw in your lot.
To your mouth you give free rein for evil,
you harness your tongue to deceit.”
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
“You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother’s son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
“Consider this, you who forget God,
lest I rend you and there be no one to rescue you.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
Gospel
Matthew 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: CRUSHING
"Beware, I will crush you into the ground as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves." –Amos 2:13
The Lord promised to crush the Israelites because of their sins. Some of the sins they committed were:
putting money and a comfortable lifestyle above people (see Am 2:6).trampling the heads of the weak and forcing "the lowly out of the way" (Am 2:7). (Compare this to abortion.)being lustful and therefore idolatrous (see Eph 5:5). Both parents and children were impure (see Am 2:7).charging interest on loans (see Am 2:8).financing their drinking of alcohol through unjust practices (Am 2:8).
There are striking parallels between the sins of Amos' time and those of our society. Living a comfortable lifestyle is the main issue on the minds of most people in our culture. We hardly notice our injustices against the poor, weak, and lowly. Impure behavior is a regular occurrence and is either condoned, ignored, or encouraged. Moreover, abortion is commonplace.
We must repent or give God no alternative but to crush and damn us. The Lord wants to forgive and save us, but He won't force us to accept His love. God does not have a double standard. He is just. He will treat us like Sodom, Gomorrah, or the Israelites of Amos' time, unless we repent.
Go to Confession as soon as possible. Take responsibility for your part in the sins of our society. Let God love, not crush, you.
PRAYER: Father, may I repent and then help others take the sins out of their lives (see Mt 7:5). May I crush Satan under my feet (Rm 16:20).
PROMISE: "Teacher, wherever You go I will come after You." –Mt 8:19
PRAISE: It was the seed of the outpoured blood of the First Martyrs of Rome that gave great life to the Church and provided an enduring witness to Christ for the ages.
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