In the early years of Christianity, as disciples were formed and the Church grew, Christians found themselves in all parts of the Roman Empire. They found particular place in the cities, although communities were established everywhere. Early Christians were great at taking up Jesus’ commission to go out and proclaim the presence of the Kingdom of God. During periods of plague, when the wealthy and important people in the cities would flee to the hills for safety and health, the Christians would remain. They would spend time with the poor and take care of the sick. After a while, the people to whom they ministered began to desire to live like them and not like the rest of society. This is how the Church grew. Those people’s first choice was probably not to spend hot summers in plague-infested slums, but they also knew that this was where Jesus wanted them; it was where Jesus was.
The readings this Sunday show us the prophetic mission that has been part of God’s relationship with His people for three thousand years. Amos was called by God in the early part of the eighth century before Christ. He was a gardener and a shepherd, but God decided that he would be the one He would send to Israel to call them to faithfulness to Himself. That’s how Amos became a prophet.
In today’s reading, we find Amos in conflict with one of Israel’s priests, Amaziah, who assumed that Amos was no different from any of the priests or prophets of his time. These men would serve and prophesy not out of a duty to God, but rather for profit. They were “professionals” not prophets. That is why he tells Amos, “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah. There earn your bread by prophesying”
Amos’ response speaks of his motives: he is not doing this for money. In fact, he had no need to become a “prophet for profit” since, as he says, “I was no prophet nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel’. ” In other words, this isn’t my idea; it’s God’s. Therefore, we better listen!
Jesus, in sending forth the Apostles, instructs them how to comport themselves on their mission. They are not to carry any of the trappings of social status – not even more than the bare minimum. They are to travel light, humbly, simply. Their words would be their wealth – or better, God’s Word was their wealth. Their attire, cleverness, nor their fame would be able to get in the way of the message, because it was the message that mattered. The Kingdom of Heaven is real, it is here, and it is to our benefit. God loves us – all of us – because we are His children, and we need nothing more than His grace.
These two readings both speak to the importance of our motivation in discipleship. We are disciples not because we look to win friends for ourselves, not because we need to be right, not because we want to improve our status in the world. We are disciples for one reason: Christ looks upon us and calls us. That gaze of Christ is all that matters – for every disciple and saint throughout history. Every saint in heaven – those we know and those we do not – is not looking at any of the trappings of the Church, not at any of the wise arguments in favor of God, not at all the arguments that are won. No. They are looking at God, experiencing the warmth and joy of His love for them.
This love is the heart of the Kingdom. It is available to us now, if we only follow Jesus and obey His summons. God called Amos because He loves him. Jesus called the Apostles because He loves them. He calls you because He loves you.
Living a prophetic life is not easy. No one ever said it would be. In fact, we have many examples of how difficult it can be. Maybe we don’t want to tell someone the truth because it would make them uncomfortable. Maybe it makes us uncomfortable. Either way, it is still the truth, and Jesus sends us to speak it. The world speaks a different truth to us – one that invites us to compromise, capitulation, and comfort. Despite what popular worldly "wisdom" might say, most prefer that we simply keep following the flock. But Pope Benedict famously said, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort; you were made for greatness.” God knows this, since He created us and called us. He loves us and wants us to reach the greatness for which we are made. We don’t get that by blending in or running to the hills when things are difficult.
We become great when we sit with the poor and lonely, with the immigrant and the prisoner, with the confused and the lost. We become great when we look more and more like Christ. That is what it means to embrace the Christian prophetic call. That is why we know who Amos is, who the Apostles are, and the saints. Not because the blended in or conformed, but because they followed God’s loving call. That might be a challenge for some, but it is the only road to greatness.
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