Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scriptures reminding us of the works of God among us, which we often refused to heed or believe in, resulting in many of us choosing down the path of rebellion and disobedience against God, not trusting in God but instead in our own ways and choices, which we often made in contrary to His will, and not following God and His path. As a result, this led to some of us falling deeper and deeper into the path of sin, and we have to avoid that. This is why we are constantly reminded through these passages of the Sacred Scriptures that we should always strive to resist the temptations of sin and worldliness.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Book of the prophet Amos detailing to us the works that the prophet Amos from Judah had done for the Lord, in fulfilling what he had been called to do in ministering to the wayward and sinful people of the northern kingdom of Israel. We heard first of all of the exchanges between the priest named Amaziah, who was a priest of Bethel that argued with Amos on what the latter had been doing at the time. For the context, we must first understand that Bethel was a holy site and the place of one of two of the temples that the first king of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam, decided to establish against the will of God.

At that time, by the time of the ministry of the prophet Amos, the northern kingdom of Israel had long rebelled against God and the House of David, following their own path and way of worship, ever since the first king of that northern kingdom, Jeroboam, but not the Jeroboam mentioned in today’s passage, led the people into sin by deciding to establish a parallel centre of worship in Bethel, in opposition to the one and true God Who ought to be worshipped at that time in Jerusalem. This happened because Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel, was afraid that the people in his kingdom would return to the obedience of the House of David if they continued to visit the Temple of Jerusalem as prescribed by the Law of God.

Amaziah complained to this other king Jeroboam, the second Jeroboam to rule over the northern kingdom just a few decades before its ultimate destruction by the Assyrians. Amaziah as the priest of Bethel, likely representing the same pagan worship as instituted by the first king Jeroboam, found Amos, his works and prophecies to be a great annoyance and interference in his domain, and Amaziah complained to the king himself for what the prophet Amos had prophesied against the king and the northern kingdom itself. Amaziah himself tried to push Amos away and told him off by telling him to go back to his native land of Judah. Yet, to this Amos immediately countered by saying that his mission and calling, and everything he had done come from the Lord and how God called him to do His will.

Amos was to be the one to proclaim a warning and judgment of the Lord on the Israelites in the northern kingdom for all of their continued rebellion against God and refusal to obey His Law and their unwillingness to listen to the words of the many prophets that had been sent to their midst. It was indeed what God had wanted to do and what He had warned His people against, as opposed to the falsehoods propagated by the false prophets and leaders which had not originated from the Lord but from human ambitions and desires running rampant and unbridled that led to many people being led astray into the path of sin and darkness. And Amos was among those whom God had sent to His people to help them find their way out of this darkness.

In our Gospel passage today, similarly we heard the case of when the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, some of whom criticised the Lord harshly for His words in proclaiming forgiveness of sins in the midst of Him healing a man who had been paralysed. The Lord had pity on the man and helped him, healing him from his troubles, and through that occasion, He also highlighted that as the Holy One of God, the Son, the Divine Word Incarnate, He has the authority to forgive sins and to deliver us from those sins, and to heal us from our afflictions, be it physical or spiritual in nature.

We heard how the Lord encountered tough opposition not only in what we encountered in the Gospel passage today but also in other occasions, where He and His disciples had to go up against the forces of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law arrayed against them. It was just like how at the time of the prophet Amos who had to go against the wickedness and stubbornness of the people of Israel, whose pride and arrogance in refusing to listen to God became their undoing. Their downfall was because they were not humble enough to admit that they were wrong and mistaken in their path, and unfortunately many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law fell into that same path.

Hence, brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings ought to highlight to us how as Christians each and every one of us are challenged to embrace God’s calling for us all to be great missionaries and witnesses of our faith in the midst of our various communities, within our families and circles of friends and acquaintances among others. Each one of us are called to be like the prophet Amos, and to be like the Lord Himself in standing up courageously for our faith in the midst of opposition and challenges that we may face in our journey of faith. However, it is not just that, as we are also called to be ever vigilant and on guard against the threat from our pride, ego, greed and desire, all of which could lead us down the wrong path to ruin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore heed the messages brought forth by the Lord to us in His Church through the Sacred Scriptures, that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly glory, pride and ambitions. Let us instead be humble and put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times, trusting that He will help us to walk down the right path, resisting those temptations and pressures of the world around us to conform. Let us all be the examples and good role models for everyone and inspire all to walk courageously and faithfully at all times in God’s Presence, coming ever closer to Him with each and every moments. Amen.