Fr. John Ryan

 

TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

23rd September

As the Old Testament prophets go, Amos is probably the most provocative and hard-hitting of them. On seeing the world around him, and especially the injustices he witnesses, he doesn't hold back. Entrenched in his views of righteousness, and fed by his love for God and God's proximity to him, he speaks out fearlessly about the wrongdoings in the market-place and the adverse effects the selfishness and greed of some have on others. He is one of the first of the fair trade advocates.
Amos' accusations were made in the context of God's concern for his people. This concern was for all. Those who were consumed by greed - consumed by consumerism in a way - had left him off the balance sheet. Prayer, reflection, right living were not seen as profitable. It wasn't hard currency. God was concerned for them. He wished for them to change their ways and return to a life of righteousness, charity and justice. He was concerned for those who were oppressed by the greed of others. When one person seeks the material over all else others suffer.
The selfishness of the traders as outlined in the first reading has many repercussions. The poorer are forced into positions of greater poverty and struggle, while the rich become richer feeding on the needs of the struggling. In the ensuing struggle all are affected spiritually as well. The constant drive for more leads people away from the source of life. God, knocked off the balance sheet, is quickly forgotten and the time of prayer and reflection itself is consumed with its remnants cast out on the scrap heap. I once heard someone say that one of the main reasons they don't go to church is that there is no money to be made there - it is time away from the creation of wealth. Time is money reaches its pinnacle. Unfortunately it is a sentiment becoming more embedded in the consciousness of people today. God-time is a waste of time. What is there to be gained in giving God time? There is nothing worthy in it, from the economic point of view.
We are living in an age that has bought into that way of thinking. Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is no longer the day of the Lord, 'dies domini', but the day when the shopping is done. The new secular 'sabbath' is the bank holiday. Our towns and cities are quieter on bank holidays than on Sundays. The concerns of God and Amos are as relevant for today as they were 2800 years ago. Life's balance sheet, without God, can lead to a terrible selfish, greedy, uncaring, violent world. Place God into the balance sheet and this scenario can be broken but it is necessary to realise the place that God should have. The writer Edna O'Brien in an interview on radio quoted a sermon she heard years ago and the words are so true for the addressing of godlessness. The quote was "We need Christ-like individuals not ideas of Christ", all of us who proclaim faith in Jesus must not just have an idea about Christ but live like him, only then will God begin to get the place he deserves and will we see a breakdown in the selfish, individualistic society surrounding us.