The readings of the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time — drawn from Amos, Psalm 146, 1 Timothy, and Luke 16 — present strong warnings against complacency, indulgence, and neglect of the vulnerable. Traditional interpretations often emphasize themes of retributive justice and eternal separation. Yet for those attuned to the horizon of Christ-consciousness, such readings can appear discordant with the essence of the Gospel as unconditional love, reconciliation, and union.
This paper reinterprets the lectionary texts through the lens of Christ-consciousness. It reframes “resurrection” as inner awakening, the “great chasm” as incoherence created by ego–soul separation, and the figures of the rich man and Lazarus as archetypes of ego enthronement and neglected soul. It further situates scripture’s reliance on symbolic language, develops a decoder glossary of biblical archetypes, and presents a spiral map of the soul’s journey through bondage, liberation, wilderness, union, exile, return, cross, resurrection, and fulfillment.
By decoding scripture’s symbolic grammar, the paper reveals how biblical texts function as mirrors of consciousness and manuals for spiritual transformation. The ultimate message is that exile always anticipates return, crucifixion always conceals resurrection, and resurrection itself is a present possibility of awakening to union.
