And Afflict The Comfortable

A Reflection on the First Reading for September 29th, 2019:
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amos 6.1, 4-7

Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria!

“Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

“Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of those who lie in ease shall pass away.”

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The first reading for this Sunday did not make me feel good. Poor me. Every now and then I come across someone who has the courage to tell it like it is, which is not necessarily what I want to hear. The latest such person was Amos. In the first reading, Amos’s job, as the saying goes, is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”

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Undergirding this pithy observation is a kernel of wisdom: comfort itself is neutral. It can be good or bad, depending.

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One factor that determines whether comfort is good or bad is the source of my comfort. If I seek comfort from God, God will give me His comfort — strength, hope, joy, freedom from anxiety and grief — and keep it coming in endless supply. But, if I seek comfort from worldly things — beds of ivory and finest oils, as Amos describes — I have to work for them, first to acquire them and thereafter to keep the supply flowing.

"One factor that determines whether comfort is good or bad is the source of my comfort."

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Of course, not everyone has to toil day and night to obtain and sustain comfort. Some of us, by virtue of our profession or position in society, are invested with wealth and authority. To such people Amos issues a caution: do not use your wealth and position to guarantee your own comfort with no regard to “Joseph” (that is, the oppressed). Those who have no heart for the oppressed “shall be the first of those to go into exile, and [their] revelry … shall pass away.” We’ve heard this before: the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.


God has blessed me abundantly. My job is to pass it on. Pay it forward, especially to those who are striving to get where I am privileged — blessed — to be. I can mentor others in leadership or in my chosen profession; walk alongside those who are suffering; support those who are struggling to pay for an education. God has shown me so many ways to help, but I will not do any of them if my first concern is stretching on my couch. Thanks for the affliction, Amos. It reminds me to look to God for my comfort and share the wealth I have.


​Donna Davis

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