Wednesday
of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Amos
5:184-15.21-24; Matthew 8:28-34)
In the
middle of the eighth century before Christ, the Kingdom of Israel’s prosperity
reached spectacular heights. Assyria,
the major power in the region, had just smashed the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus leaving
Israel in charge of the region’s commerce.
Its wealthy citizens increased their coffers with taxes, tariffs, and
the cultivation of cash crops. Meanwhile,
Israel’s poor suffered from being drafted, paying taxation, having crop
failures, and losing their land. To
survive they borrowed from the rich at exorbitant interest.
Amos, a
farmer from the Kingdom of Judah, found himself in the Northern Kingdom
preaching against social injustice. It
was not only the economic imbalance that enraged him. Also, rich people’s attempt to appease God
with luxurious peace offerings moved Amos to diatribe. He spoke out as strongly as any prophet that
justice pleases the Lord, not fancy liturgy or abundant offering. As the rich were looking forward to the Day
of the Lord for even greater profits, Amos promised that the Day would bring
them ruin.
As the
United Sates celebrates its 250th anniversary, the country must
question whether its prosperity reflects the injustices of Israel. Certainly many Americans are generous, and
the government has fostered poverty programs both domestically and
internationally. Yet consumption among
Americans may be greater than what is truly beneficial, and many poor Americans
are not developing their potential.
Solutions to these problems are complex and difficult. Money is hardly all that is needed. Community is necessary as is personal awareness
that we should not live exclusively for ourselves but to also assist others.
