Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The prophet Amos was famous for many reasons.
Of all the prophetic books, Amos was first. As such he laid the groundwork for the writing prophets that followed him. He is famous for being from Judah (the southern kingdom) yet he prophesied in Israel (the northern kingdom). He is famous because of his humility — he did not fancy himself as learned or suave. In his simplicity his message hit home where the vast majority lived. He was famous because he wasn’t trained as a prophet nor was he from the upper class. He is famous because his gruff unfiltered message resonates with us still.
He depicts a God who is rather wild like Amos was. Through “Famous Amos,” Yahweh pulls no punches. The chosen people drifted away from the Sinai covenant and Yahweh (through his prophet) will have none of it.
A central concern in the book of Amos, and in all biblical teaching about society, is that God has a passionate concern for justice for all — especially the powerless, the weak, the disposable, the oppressed. God demands justice!
Israel is more concerned with following rigid rubrics in their liturgy. They pretend to be worshipping the true God through generous offerings and gifts. They excelled in composing magnificent music for temple worship (6:5). The psalms never sounded so beautiful! There appeared to be a revival—the temples were crowded yet it was an abomination to God.
The two-fold sin of ancient Israel was its treatment of the stranger, the orphan, and the undesirable, coupled with self serving worship. Jesus of Nazareth (even more famous than Amos) followed the traditions of the prophets who came before him. In the New Testament, whenever he is particularly unhappy with his fellow Jews, it centered on two things: the wealthy defrauding the downtrodden and religious authorities burdening their flocks.
How similar are we to those who received the wrath of Amos and Jesus? Do we welcome the stranger? The destitute? The rejected? The disposable? Those who dwell in the shadows?
—Timothy J. Cronin