The readings today are uncomfortable.
And sometimes that is exactly what we need.
Because both Amos and Jesus challenge a temptation that exists in every age:
the temptation to follow God only when it costs us very little.
Amos speaks to a prosperous society.
People are comfortable.
Religious practices continue.
Life seems successful.
Yet God sees something different.
He sees injustice.
He sees exploitation.
He sees the poor being treated as though they do not matter.
He sees people enjoying God’s blessings while ignoring God’s commandments.
One of the most frightening things about Amos is that the people probably thought everything was fine.
The Temple was still there.
The sacrifices were still being offered.
The outward signs of religion remained.
But their hearts had drifted far from God.
That should make us pause.
Because it is possible to be religious without being converted.
Possible to know prayers without loving God.
Possible to attend Mass without allowing the Gospel to shape our lives.
The Lord reminds Israel of everything He has done for them.
“It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
In other words:
Remember who saved you.
Remember who blessed you.
Remember who carried you.
Gratitude should have led them to obedience.
Instead, they became complacent.
And that is always a danger for believers.
We begin to take God’s gifts for granted.
We become comfortable.
We stop examining our lives.
We stop asking whether we are truly living as disciples.
Then in the Gospel Jesus pushes even further.
A scribe approaches Him enthusiastically:
“Master, I will follow you wherever you go.”
It sounds wonderful.
Exactly the kind of response every priest would love to hear.
Yet Jesus immediately speaks about hardship.
“Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Why does He answer that way?
Because Jesus knows enthusiasm is easy.
Perseverance is hard.
A moment of inspiration is easy.
A lifetime of faithfulness is hard.
The Christian life is not merely an emotional response.
It is a commitment.
A decision.
A way of life.
Then another disciple says:
“Let me go and bury my father first.”
At first the request sounds reasonable.
Yet Jesus answers with shocking urgency:
“Follow me.”
Jesus is not teaching disrespect for parents.
He is teaching priority.
There will always be reasons to delay discipleship.
Always something else to do first.
Always another obligation.
Always another excuse.
The danger is that “later” becomes “never.”
Many people intend to take God seriously one day.
One day they will pray.
One day they will return to Confession.
One day they will learn their faith.
One day they will become committed Catholics.
But the years pass.
And the day never arrives.
Jesus says:
Follow me now.
Not eventually.
Not when it is convenient.
Now.
That is the great difference between admiration and discipleship.
Many admired Jesus.
Many were impressed by Him.
Many enjoyed listening to Him.
Far fewer followed Him.
And that remains true today.
Most people like some version of Jesus.
The kind teacher.
The wise moral guide.
The compassionate friend.
But the real Jesus asks for more.
He asks for our lives.
Our loyalty.
Our obedience.
Our hearts.
The saints understood this.
They were not necessarily more talented than everyone else.
But they stopped negotiating with God.
They stopped saying “later.”
They stopped placing conditions on discipleship.
And they followed.
Perhaps that is the question these readings leave with us.
What is holding me back?
Where am I resisting God?
What part of my life remains untouched by the Gospel?
Because Christ does not simply want admirers.
He wants disciples.
Not people who occasionally think about Him.
But people who follow Him.
Not people who fit Him into their lives.
But people who build their lives around Him.
Amos reminds us that religion without conversion is empty.
Jesus reminds us that discipleship requires commitment.
And both remind us that the Lord is worthy of more than our spare time.
He is worthy of our whole lives.
For He has already given His whole life for us.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 