A huge and lethal threat was looming large on the horizon — the empire of Assyria — and it was bent on ruthless conquest. Unfortunately, the upper classes were unconcerned and were content to pass their lives in idle and selfish luxury and self-indulgence. Denial and indifference were at work: ignore the threat and

drown yourself in pleasure and both the danger and the plight of the poor and weak will disappear.
The world in which Amos was written was not very different from our own. Even in the direst of economic difficulties, there are those who never feel the pinch.

The sale of luxury cars and other toys continues unabated and economic difficulties do not seem to affect expense accounts, bonuses and high-level salaries.

The message of Amos was brutal and to the point: enjoy it while you can because it is going to come to a disastrous end very soon — and it did. The kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria in 722 B.C. and ceased to exist. The southern kingdom of Judah struggled on for another century but lurched from crisis to crisis until its demise at the hands of the Babylonians.

The prophets all had the same message: the spiritual health of any nation is not measured in religious observance or in prosperity but by the degree of justice evident in its society. Healthy religion is indivisibly connected with concern for the poor, weak and marginalized. No one has the right to wealth and luxury when it is at the expense of the health, happiness and well-being of others. Nations that ignore these basic principles are on the same road travelled by Israel and Judah during the time of Amos. By the way, the ivory-inlaid bed frames were real — their remnants have been recovered by archeologists. What will archeologists recover from our time?

Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness — all wonderful virtues and qualities that the author of 1 Timothy exhorted his community to pursue zealously and unceasingly. These are the qualities that enable us to be in the presence of God, who dwells in unapproachable light. Why is it unapproachable? Because selfishness, injustice, violence, anger, hatred and other negative qualities simply cannot exist in the presence of God, as the story of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates so well. In some respects it is like a “fire and brimstone” sermon. Similar stories of role reversal in the next world come to us from all over the ancient world, especially Egypt, and were intended to urge greater compassion and generosity on the part of those with abundance. The rich man’s sin was not being wealthy but allowing his wealth to dull his spiritual and moral senses. He didn’t go out of his way to be cruel to Lazarus — he didn’t even know he was alive.

This sort of immersion in soul-numbing materialism is a great problem in our own day, especially where people enjoy relative prosperity. The point of the story: we only have our time on Earth to make ethical decisions. It was too late for the rich man and all he wanted was relief from his torment — there was no real conversion of heart. The rich man’s frantic request that someone go warn his brothers so they would not share his fate was met with stony refusal. Their religious traditions — and in fact, most of the world’s religious traditions — already told them how to treat others with justice and compassion. No one can plead ignorance.

It is for each person to take this to heart in their own way. There are no shortcuts or escape clauses. Selfishness and a lack of love definitely create a chasm between humans and God. The unapproachable light of today’s second reading is perfect love. Our purpose on Earth is to prepare ourselves to meet that perfect love — and it always involves our relationships with others.