For the last several weeks, we had been hearing from the 1st and 2nd books of Kings in our first readings in the daily masses. Today, we hear from the prophet Amos. Amos was a shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah. God called him to be a prophet, sending him to the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos confronted the people for the way they were devoted to worshipping God in their liturgies and prayers and piety, but ignored the injustices around them. Indeed, Amos is a voice of social justice in the Hebrew Scripture. His voice still calls out to us today. Amos today tells the people that although they were favored by the Lord in all of the human family, they did not respond in love and service.
As Amos confront the reality of his day, of the way the people were not practicing the mercy and justice of God in their daily lives, we also are to read the signs of the times in our modern world. Are we practicing justice and mercy in our lives? Are we turning away from the word of God and turning away from his laws and commandments? In my homilies, you have heard me talk a lot about how our words and our actions should reflect what we are learning about on our journey faith, about how our words and actions reflect the Eucharist we receive after we enter the world outside the church building as we leave Mass. May we think about that and reflect about that as we live out our journey of faith each day.
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