The prophet Amos was a humble shepherd when he was called by the Lord to be his prophet during the reign of King Jeroboam II around the year 750 BC. It was a time of prosperity for the people of Israel, yet they still continued to stray from their faith like they had done so many times before. The prophets like Amos were sent to the people to admonish them and to warn them that unless they mended their ways, they and the land would be doomed. The admonitions were, for the most part, unheeded. The people went their own way.
We hear Amos tell them today: “Seek good and not evil, so that you may live.” Such a simple, basic message, but we today, like so many in Amos’ day, do not heed such a message. We see so many in the modern world seeking the wrong things. Archibald MacLeish, a poet, writer, and librarian of our US Congress had this to say: "A man who lives, not by what he loves but what he hates, is a sick man." We look out on the world today and we see so much anger and hatred, so much so that the values of our faith often take a back seat. In the words of the prophet Amos, our words and our actions should “let justice prevail at the gate.”
As we hear the words of Amos in our first reading today, we celebrate our country and the values that we stand for as Americans on our national holiday: justice, opportunity, religious freedom, and altruism. We pray for our country on our Independence Day. We pray that God lead us and guide us in choosing our elected officials. We pray for all those who help protect our freedom and liberty every day – the men and women in the military, in law enforcement, first responders, and public servants. We pray for their safety and their continued service to our nation.
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