God tells Amos he is angry with Israel
Bible Accent
Saint for Today: St. Adamnan
Puzzle
God tells Amos he is angry with Israel
Amos was taking care of the sheep of his flock when he received a vision about Israel. God’s voice said to him, “The Lord roars from Zion, and raises his voice from Jerusalem.” The Lord told Amos about his anger because of the crimes he said were committed by the nations of Aram, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah and Israel.
The Lord continued by saying the nations have been warned. “Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared, who would not fear? The Lord God has spoken, who would not prophesy?”
As part of his words to Israel through his prophet Amos, God said he would send three woes upon them. “Woe to those who would turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness into the ground … Woe to those who yearn for the day of the Lord! … Woe to those who are complacent in Zion, secure on the mount of Samaria.”
The Lord told the people of Israel that if they continued in their disobedience, he would send his anger on them. Yet, in spite of the warnings that God was sending to Israel, he also told them of his great love for them, if only they would follow his commandments.
“Seek good and not evil,” he told them, “that you may live; Then truly the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you as you claim. Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.”
Then the Lord showed Amos five more visions. He saw a swarm of locusts that would destroy the harvest; a rain of fire that burned the fields; a plummet that represented the destruction of the kingdom of Jeroboam; a basket of summer fruit that represented the death of many people; and finally the destruction of the sanctuary.
Amos pleaded for the sake of Israel, and the Lord said of some of the visions, “This shall not be.” Again the Lord promised to forgive Israel if they returned to him. “I will restore my people Israel, they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, Plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruit. I will plant them upon their own ground; never again shall they be plucked.”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
The Book of Amos
Q&A
1. What animal did God mention to represent his anger?
2. What was God’s promise if Israel obeyed him?
Bible Accent: Readings from the Bible
Readings from the Bible are a very important part of Mass. These readings have been planned so that over a three-year period, most of the Bible would have been read during the Masses. The first year of readings is called A, and the other two are B and C. The year 2013 is year C. The next church year will be A again, and the cycle of readings will repeat. The reading of the Scriptures during Mass is called The Liturgy of the Word. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy Spirit ‘recalls’ to the assembly all that Christ has done for us.” (1103) The first reading is from the Old Testament, the second reading is from the New Testament and the third reading is from the Gospel. Readings from the Psalms also are included in Mass. The layperson who gives the readings is called the lector. A priest or deacon reads the Gospel.
Saint for Today: St. Adamnan
Adamnan (624-704) joined the monastery of Iona in Ireland after spending time in a monastery in the county of Donegal. In 679 he was named the ninth abbot of Iona. In order to escape from pursuit by Egfrith, who overthrew his father the King of Northumbria, Aldfrith requested safe shelter at the monastery. Adamnan agreed, and also later negotiated for the release of several prisoners. He addresses the Council of Birr, convincing the assembly not to kill, harm or take as prisoners women and children. One of Adamnan’s greatest literary achievements was a biography of St. Columba. He also wrote a record of the works of monk who had spent time in the East, based on eyewitness accounts. We honor him on Sept. 23.
Puzzle
