Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
It seems to be a part of our fallen human condition that we do not bear criticism well. No one wants to be told that he is failing to live a good life. Perhaps even less so do we want to hear criticism of our nation. We don’t like people accusing the United States of injustice, selfishness, materialism, or neglect of the poor and the needy. We’d like to think that we are doing alright, and serve as a model to other nations because of all the good for which we stand.
The people of Israel probably felt a similar degree of pride when the prophet Amos began to accuse them of neglecting the poor and needy. We know from our first reading from the book of Amos that Amos was not well-received among his people. Jeroboam, King of Israel, and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, did not want to hear the message of Amos. They did not want to acknowledge the sins of their people, nor did they want to change their sinful ways. They thought that by silencing Amos they could avoid the consequences of their sins. Instead of addressing the problem, they sought to attack the messenger.
We often look to God’s punishment of the people of Israel found in the Old Testament as evidence that the “God of the Old Testament” is somehow harsh, angry, and unjust, as compared to the loving and merciful “God of the New Testament” found in Jesus. But of course, this is the one, Trinitarian God. There is no separate God of each testament. And so we have to find a different way to interpret this punishment threatened on the people of Israel and communicated to them by Amos. By calling them to repentance, God (through Amos) is giving the people and opportunity before it is too late. God as depicted in the Old Testament is always calling his people back to him, giving them continual chances to live up to the people they are meant to be. He is giving them the chance to fulfill their very being as those who were made in the image and likeness of God and chosen in a special way to be his people.
But for some reason, the people of Israel, as well as we the people of God today, are often reluctant to have sins forgiven. We would rather deny our sin or ignore our sin than seek out the forgiveness that lies in store for us. We often allow our sins to divide us from God, to isolate us from each other, rather than using our sins as a way to grow closer to God and to each other by having them forgiven. Like the people in the gospel passage from Matthew, we would rather have Jesus heal our physical ailments rather than our spiritual ailments.
This is a mistake we cannot continue. God offers us his mercy and forgiveness. He gives us the opportunity to move beyond our sins, becoming more like him in loving and serving others. One particular gift to us comes in the sacrament of reconciliation. When we receive this sacrament, we are reconciled both to God and to our Church community which we have offended. Our last Pope John Paul II received the sacrament weekly – not because he had huge sins, but because he so appreciated the love, mercy, and forgiveness extended to us in this sacrament. In this world of ours that has forgotten about sin much in the way that Israel had when Amos accused them, we must revive the concept by identifying sin in our own lives and seeking to address it by accepting the forgiveness of God that is offered to us. Today, let us make a commitment to take advantage of the sacrament of confession and to let our sins be an opportunity for growing closer to God.
- Maria Morrow