Daily Readings - Fri Jul 05 2024
Amos
4Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,5saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"- skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales,6buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.9"In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.10I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping. I will make all of you wear sackcloth and shave your heads. I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.11"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.12Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.
Matthew
9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages about justice and mercy. The prophet Amos denounces the social injustices of his time, where the wealthy exploit the poor, using deceptive trade practices and ignoring the needs of the vulnerable. He warns of a spiritual famine, a time when people will seek God's word but find it absent. This serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting the marginalized.
In the Gospel, Jesus challenges societal norms by calling Matthew, a tax collector, and dining with sinners. The Pharisees question Jesus' actions, prompting him to emphasize that his mission is to bring mercy to those who have strayed, quoting Hosea to highlight the importance of compassion over rigid adherence to the law. This illustrates Jesus' commitment to reaching out to the outcasts and showing them God's love.
These readings together call us to reflect on our own lives. We must balance the pursuit of justice for the oppressed with the practice of mercy towards those who have erred. Let us examine our actions to ensure we do not exploit others and that we extend compassion to those around us. By living with integrity and kindness, we embody the teachings of both Amos and Jesus, fostering a world where justice and mercy coexist.