Discussion Questions
First Reading
Amos 6: 1a,4-7
F1. Do self-indulgence and wealth necessarily go together? Are indulgences and related complacency related to your ability to hear the cry of the poor?
F2. Would you choose the people in this reading to be your best friends? Why? What’s missing in a person’s life if all possible time and effort is consumed with caring for his or her needs and desires? Put the people in this reading at one end of a self-indulgence spectrum and Mother Teresa at the other. Where do you fall?
Second Reading
1 Timothy 6: 11-16
S1. Jesus said to Pilate, “the reason I have come into the world is to bear witness to the truth.” What do you do that bears witness to the truth? Do you think, “Lay hold of eternal life” means that you should try to grab eternal life or that you should let God grab you?
S2. How do patience, gentleness, and love relate to your bearing witness to the truth? How is your gentleness? Your patience? Your love?
Gospel
Luke 16: 19-31
G1. Where would you find the poor person today? What would he or she look like? Do you recognize and care for him or her as God’s beloved child, or do you want to roll up your window or shut your door when you see him/her coming? Are you somewhere in between these alternatives?
G2. What does taking care of Lazarus do for you? Compare and contrast someone who takes care of the poor with the complacent person that Amos writes about in the First Reading, the one who sits around drinking wine and anointing him/herself all day with the best oils.
Anne Osdieck