We make a shift in the lectionary today from the historical books of the Hebrew Scriptures (1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles) to the classical prophets. They are called “classical” because they (or one of their scribes) wrote down their oracles. In the historical books we met several prophets, notably Nathan, Elijah and Elisha. They differ from the classical prophets only in that their oracles were never written into a book but were included in the historical texts. Otherwise, the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures all fulfill the same vocation; namely, to bring the Word of God to bear on their particular situation.
The first of the prophets which we read in this cycle of the Lectionary for Daily Mass is Amos, a prophet of the Northern Kingdom of during the reign of Jeroboam II. Amos’s message stands as one of the most powerful voices ever to challenge hypocrisy and injustice. The words of Amos challenge the children of Israel who claim the benefits of the Sinai Covenant but do not live up to the responsibilities they bear in that relationship with God. Those responsibilities are two; namely, to worship God alone without having any false gods and to care for the poor, the voiceless, the alien, the widow and the orphan.
You may remember that the Sinai Covenant came about after the people of Israel fled the slavery of Egypt. When they reached the mountain of the Lord, God entered into a covenant relationship with them: “If you will be my people, then I will be your God.” The covenant was quite simple: love God and love your neighbor. That was spelled out in detail in the various commandments that were handed down and which are recorded in the Torah (Pentateuch), the first five books of the Bible. While we can probably recite ten of those commandments, there were actually 613 of them. However, as we learn from the Gospel, the people of Israel knew that two of those commandments were “the greatest”; namely, love God and love your neighbor.
If we read through the 613 commandments, most of which are written in the Book of Leviticus, we will learn quickly that many of them had to do with worshipping God and with caring for those who were the most vulnerable. God reminds them that they were once vulnerable, enslaved, beaten, starved, impoverished, etc. They are, therefore, to make sure that they do not turn around and take advantage of others as they had been by their Egyptian overseers.
Unfortunately, when the people of Israel became a powerful nation under the leadership of King David, they, like so many, forgot their responsibilities toward the poor. Power leads to corruption, and in particular, to greed. They wanted more. So we read in the words of the prophet: “Because they hand over the just for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; they trample the heads of the destitute into the dust of the earth, and force the lowly out of the way” (Amos 2:6b-7).
There was a time in the history of our own country when Catholics were among the most vulnerable. However, as the years have passed and as our immigrant forebears have proven to be upwardly mobile, we, like the children of Israel, have risen from poverty and into positions of power. Another wave of poor immigrants has replaced the Catholics of Italy, Ireland, and Germany. Despite the fact that Latino immigrants share our faith, they are often the ones who are exploited by the rich and powerful. In addition, non-Catholic and non-Christian immigrants fare even more poorly. We, like the children of Israel of old, have forgotten that we were once in the same situation. The words of the prophet Amos are just as applicable to our own day as they were to 786–746 B.C.E., the years in which Amos preached.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator