Dear friends in Christ

Once again this week we hear from the Prophet Amos after his return from the desert of Samaria. He finds the leaders of the chosen people wholly given over to the pleasures of the world, which he describes in detail before telling them their destiny: exile! This was indeed fulfilled a few years afterwards. The liturgy of this Sunday warns that an excessive concern for the things of this world will inevitably lead to a neglect of God and each other. The famous parable of Jesus—Dives and Lazarus—tells of a man who fell into this very trap. Instead of gaining Heaven by using his wealth for good, he lost it forever. If you are familiar with the composition Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus—variations on a folk song by Ralph Vaughan Williams—you will understand the pathos that this parable conjures up musically. Our life on earth is a testing ground for our generosity, summed-up by the wisdom of God that: it is better to give than to receive. As we listen again to the readings at Mass, we can examine ourselves to see whether our detachment is a real expression of our closeness to Jesus, so that we can possess Him for all eternity. St Augustine records the story of his own conversion thus: How lovely I suddenly found it, to be free from the glamour of those vanities, so that now it was a joy to renounce what I had been so much afraid to lose. For you cast them out of me, O true and supreme Loveliness, you cast them out of me and took their place instead, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, yet not to me flesh and blood; brighter than all light, yet deeper within than any secret; loftier than all honour, but not to those who are high and mighty in their own estimation (Confessions 9,1,1).

May God bless you in all you do!

Msgr Kevin Hale