Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - Wednesday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Amos 5:14-15, 21-24 and Matt 8:28-34]Seek good and not evil, that you may live; then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim!
Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. In many parishes in this country, pastors have the option to choose other scriptures than the ones assigned for today. Because my Beloved Congregation is international in scope, I am staying with the assigned scriptures but I believe the prophet Amos has something important to say to "the land of the free and the home of the brave" that could apply to other nations as well.
Amos, in his typically blunt fashion, warns his people that they cannot claim that God is with them as long as they ignore the poor and allow systemic injustice throughout the land. In this election year in the United States, issues of domestic justice are very much at the forefront. There are issues of justice in health care, immigration, and how America "does business," - to mention only a few. On Independence Day, we try to accent the positve and prophets like Amos would be considered as popular as ants at the picnic. Yet, his words have to be part of our consciousness as we thank God for the "blessings of freedom." Ceremony and worship are hollow if injustice is a result of the very "freedoms" we claim to be grateful for! Perhaps we can take an example from the celebration of the Eucharist. It always begins with a penitential rite. If we can acknowledge our failures as a nation and seek God's forgiveness, then we can act with renewed purpose to make sure the blessings of liberty extend to all our people. AMEN
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