Today’s Readings – Sunday of Week 26 of Ordinary Time

Commentary on Amos 6:1a,4-7, 1Timothy 6:11-16 and Luke 16:19-31

To some people, the story in today’s Gospel may seem quite unfair. A successful man, indicated by the prosperity of his surroundings, is buried in hell. A snivelling beggar, who may have never done a day’s work in his life, ends up in Abraham’s bosom. Is this Christian teaching?

To understand this story properly may involve a radical change in the way we – and the society we belong to – normally thinks. And, importantly for those who wish to be truly Christian, it will involve learning some of the values of Jesus, of the Gospel.

We live in a world which praises achievement and has little time for failure. It starts right in kindergarten with the very first school report. We live in a society, which says peop … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Saturday of Week 25 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8

Today we come to the end of our selections from this book. Even in translation one can see the poetry of the passage. Again it can be read in a very pessimistic way or with a sense of realism.

The reading deals with the inevitabil … Continue