INTEGRITY BEYOND THE SANCTUARY

READINGS: TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

In the first reading for this 25th Sunday of Year C (Amos 8:4–7), the prophet Amos speaks with piercing clarity, exposing a timeless truth: God sees every act of exploitation, every moment when profit is placed above people, and every time the vulnerable are treated as disposable.

This is not merely about ancient merchants with rigged scales who could not wait for worship to end so they could return to cheating, exploiting, and turning human lives into commodities. No—it is about the posture of the heart that measures worth in currency instead of compassion.

The Lord’s declaration, “Never will I forget a thing they have done,” is both a warning and an invitation.

My friends, true worship is inseparable from justice. To honor God on the Sabbath while crushing the poor during the week is hypocrisy. True worship demands integrity in daily dealings—whether in business, work, or community—because honesty matters.

Skewed “scales” may look different today: unfair wages, dishonest contracts, or taking advantage of someone’s desperation. Yet in all these, God still sees and warns.

The message of Amos is simple: every person we encounter bears the image of God and must never be reduced to a transaction. We are called to value people over profits—in business, work, and daily life. We must refuse to cut corners or exploit others for gain. God is not impressed by our prayers and church attendance if our hands are busy trampling others.

Our faith must go beyond rituals. Worship must flow into justice, compassion, and fairness. Our spirituality and Sunday worship should overflow into our weekdays, compelling us to practice honest dealings, transparency, and fairness in all transactions—whether in money, time, or commitments.

In this passage, Amos calls us to defend the powerless, to use our influence to protect those who have no voice, and to lift—not crush—the vulnerable. It is a call to evaluate every structure we participate in, asking whether it uplifts or oppresses, and to ensure it aligns with what gives life and dignity. It is a call to live so that, when God remembers our deeds, He will see them marked by mercy, fairness, and love. As Scripture says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall have mercy shown unto them.”