+Our text from the prophet Amos this morning is not an easy one to listen to. We are aware of the injustices in our own world, where the poor continue to be oppressed and where we are exposed very little to the plight of refugees or those without food to survive. The rich are in control of so much of the news and public thinking. And are we facing a famine for hearing the Word of God, facing a lack of inspired leadership among Nations?
Our gospel offers us some relief when we find Jesus sitting down to eat with tax collectors and sinners, reminding the Pharisees that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, that he himself has come not to call the righteous but sinners. May he have mercy on the sinful world of today and help us all to hear God’s word even now being spoken amid all the turmoil of our time.
(Amos 8:4-6, 9-12; Matthew 9:9-13)