Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word Among Us” for Monday, 30 June 2014

Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word Among Us” for Monday, 30 June 2014
Meditations: Amos 2:6 Yahweh says:
“For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four,
    I will not turn away its punishment;
    because they have sold the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of shoes;
7     They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,
    and deny justice to the oppressed;
    and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;
8     and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge;
    and in the house of their God[Amos 2:8 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
13-16] they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
    whose height was like the height of the cedars,
    and he was strong as the oaks;
    yet I destroyed his fruit from above,
    and his roots from beneath.
10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,
    and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    to possess the land of the Amorite.
13 Behold,[Amos 2:13 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.] I will crush you in your place,
    as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
14 Flight will perish from the swift;
    and the strong won’t strengthen his force;
    neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
15     neither shall he stand who handles the bow;
    and he who is swift of foot won’t escape;
    neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;
16 and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,”
says Yahweh.
The First Martyrs of Holy Roman Church
Beware. (Amos 2:13)
Judgment Day! We’ve all seen cartoons showing a bearded, bedraggled character walking down the street holding a sign that says, “The End is Near!” Well, guess what? That cartoon character is right—to a point. There will come a time when Jesus will return to judge all people and bring into his kingdom those whose faith and love have opened them up to his salvation. Jesus himself spoke about this, saying that he would come to separate “the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32).
In Israel in the eighth century b.c., the prophet Amos appeared, urging the people to turn back to God through repentance and works of justice. Why did God call him? Because of sin. The northern kingdom of Israel had grown quite prosperous, yet despite their increasing wealth, injustice was rampant. The poor were getting poorer, while the rich were getting richer and were ignoring the call of God to care for the needy and the neglected. Regard for innocence, humility, and trustworthiness was at an all-time low, and idolatry was on the rise. God sent Amos to warn the people that they would be held accountable for their sins. He urged them to step out of the grip of sin and into the warm embrace of God’s mercy.
From age to age, God has called his people to himself with the same passionate love he showed for ancient Israel. As a just Father, he sometimes must correct and discipline us. And as a loving Father, he constantly holds out his hand in the hope that we will turn back to him in repentance.
Most of us cringe at the thought of God confronting us with our sin, but we need to know that with God’s conviction always comes the promise of forgiveness and salvation. He never shows us our sin out of a desire to condemn us or destroy us. No, he wants to transform us into the image of Christ. The plain truth is that we cannot save ourselves, just as the ancient Israelites could not. We need his correction and his grace to change. So don’t shy away from the Spirit’s convictions. Instead, ask him to heal you and to reshape you.
“Thank you, Father, for your loving correction and the purifying work of your Spirit. Help me to accept all that you do to make me a new creation.” Amen.
Psalms 50:16 But to the wicked God says,
    “What right do you have to declare my statutes,
    that you have taken my covenant on your lips,
17     since you hate instruction,
    and throw my words behind you?
18 When you saw a thief, you consented with him,
    and have participated with adulterers.
19 “You give your mouth to evil.
    Your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother.
    You slander your own mother’s son.
21 You have done these things, and I kept silent.
    You thought that I was just like you.
    I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.
22 “Now consider this, you who forget God,
    lest I tear you into pieces, and there be no one to deliver.
23 Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me,
    and prepares his way so that I will show God’s salvation to him.”
Matthew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
19 A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
-------