FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
29 SEPTEMBER 2024
26TH Sunday of Ordinary Time
WORD of the DAY
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become
moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that
corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a
fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold,
the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying
aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of
hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you
have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You
have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no
resistance. (James
5: 1-6)
How shall I live this Word? 
Today, as San Biagio House of Prayer, we take up again the comments of the Word of the liturgy of the day that illuminate our daily lives. Let us consider the second reading of today’s liturgy. The Letter of St. James in its five chapters helps us to deepen the theme of wealth and of the poor. He presents himself as, “James, servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1: 1), and addresses the Christian communities of his time who were experiencing suffering, difficulties, injustices, and were challenged in living the faith concretely. This image takes us back to the present day. Many Christian communities in the world are in similar situations. It is enough to look at every continent, every people, and nation. Today, this letter speaks to us again. It is not wealth in itself that distances us from the Christian life, but the accumulation of wealth and unbridled possession. It is gain at the expense of others, exploitation for profit, the choices of consumerism, waste, and indifference for the dignity of human beings and creation.
Lord Jesus, grant us the grace to distinguish between moderation and the accumulation of wealth, to live in justice and righteousness respecting the dignity of others and guarding the common home that is creation.
The voice of Dario Martinelli
From animals, we can learn very efficaciously the value of moderation. The very condition of animality is the opposite of the concept of waste because it is doubly threaded to the equilibriums of the ecosystem.
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E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com -Comment: Sr. Monica Angulo, FMA
