In the coming weeks, as we draw nearer to the end of the liturgical year, we will often hear references to the end of our lives and the end of time. This week's scriptures are no exception. The reading from Timothy warns us to live "without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 6:14), and the psalm says that God "secures justice for the oppressed . . . but the way of the wicked he thwarts" (Psalm 146:7, 9). In the reading from Amos we hear about the "woe" that is in store for the complacent rich, who think nothing of how their self- indulgence oppresses the poor. The Gospel parable about Lazarus and the nameless rich man exemplifies such complacency, as well as the justice that both the wicked and the oppressed will experience beyond the grave.
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