Homily: Thirteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Thirteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Amos 3:1-8, 4:11-12) “The Prophet of Justice”

When I was studying scripture in the seminary, I had a course on the prophets. Amos was the first prophet we read. I don’t know whether it was because his name started with A or whether it was because his prophetic book was one of the shortest prophetic works in the Bible.

Amos was not a person who you would consider qualified to be a prophet. He was a farmer. We must wonder how he gained such notoriety. Other prophets were priests or scribes. They were professional religious. Teaching religion and celebrating liturgy was what they did.

Amos could remind us of Jesus. Jesus was a carpenter. He was a workman. Whatever religious training he had was what he received as a child from his family. What he learned he learned in the synagogue. But Jesus spoke with such authority that people listened. He did not speak, as it is said in the scriptures, like other preachers. He had authority.

Amos was the same way. He was not afraid to say what needed to be said. He did not sugar coat his message. He did not try to be politically correct or polite. Amos was angry.

What was he angry about? He was mad about the injustice he saw in the society he lived in. In his culture there were the rich and there were the poor. There was no middle class. He was mad because the rich ate well, lived in comfortable houses, had servants to take care of their every need.

The poor lived in squalor. They lived day to day just trying to get by. There was no welfare system. There was no safety net. People starved. The widow and orphan were often neglected. When Amos reflected on this and when he spoke to God about it, he concluded this was an offense against God. He predicted that punishment would come, and that the nation would fall apart. In time what he predicted happened and people realized how wrong they were.

1.  Are the poor treated with dignity around the world today? Who is in the most need?
2. Do we have anyone like Amos in our society? Who might that be?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Next weekend we will be having another outdoor Mass. It will be occurring at 9:15 on Sunday. We will have Mass in the grassy area outside the west door of Culemans Hall. I remind you to bring your own chair. Last month some people forgot their chair.

          If people could move closer to the altar it would be helpful. Humans have interesting habits. If the first persons to arrive sit 100 yards away, then everyone will sit behind them and be 150 yards away. Please get close because it makes the communion process a lot easier.

          These Masses are great events for our parish. Please invite your friends and don’t forget to ask them to bring a chair.

          May Our Lady bring peace to our troubled world today.

          Fr. Mark