“I thought of taking the name Leo XIV for several reasons, but primarily because Leo XIII, with his encyclical Rerum Novarum, addressed the social question within the context of the first great Industrial Revolution. Today, the Church offers its heritage of social doctrine to everyone to respond to another industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence, which brings new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”
These were the words of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost the day after his election as Pope. The dignity of the person is once again at the heart of the Church’s concern, as it was for Christ – the revolutionary par excellence – and as it already was, many centuries earlier, in the thoughts of the prophets. Among them, Amos stands out; in the eighth century BC, with a ringing and at times even violent voice, he denounced social injustice and religious formalism.
The word “prophet” derives from the Ancient Greek προφήτης (prophetes), composed of pro- (“before” or “on behalf of”) and phemi (“to speak”). Prophets, therefore, speak to the people in the name of God, but they also perceive His design before others, communicating it through a language steeped in their own humanity. Amos’s message is more modern than ever and continues to speak to us today.
Who was Amos?
He came from Tekoa, a small town in the Kingdom of Judah, and was not a “professional” prophet, as he himself declared: “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs” (Amos 7:14). His vocation was not a hereditary title nor a personal choice, but a charismatic calling he could not resist: “The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8).
Amos expressed himself using imagery typical of someone living in contact with nature:
- “The Lord roars from Zion…” (Amos 1:2)
- “The Lord God asked me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A basket of ripe fruit.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The end has come upon my people Israel…’” (Amos 8:2)
- “Behold, I will press you into the ground, as a cart presses down when it is full of sheaves” (Amos 2:13)
Amos’s proclamation was directed at the wealthy who oppressed the poor: “They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2:6). He also addressed the religious elites who hid their indifference toward law and mercy behind rituals and sacrifices: “They recline beside every altar on garments taken in pledge” (Amos 2:8). In one of his most famous verses, he cries out: “Take away from me the noise of your songs! But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream!” (Amos 5:23-24).
In Amos, religion is not a set of sacred gestures, but a concrete practice of equity, truth, and solidarity. Although the tone of the book is largely one of condemnation, the final part opens up to hope: “On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins…” (Amos 9:11). There is a promise of reconstruction and a future of peace for a faithful “remnant.” This conclusion shows that, even in judgment, the God of Amos does not abandon His people but calls them back to an authentic conversion.
Amos remains the prophet who, more than any other, links God to concrete justice, witnessing a faith that cannot be separated from attention to the poor. The saints have always lived this bond between inner life and charity. I am reminded, for example, of the famous hat belonging to the physician and scientist Giuseppe Moscati, placed in the hall of his office with a sign: “He who has, let him give; he who has not, let him take.” It was not merely an act of almsgiving; it was a system of redistribution.
Moscati is a figure who is fascinating because of his sensitivity to suffering and his love for the Truth. He lived in intense intimacy with God, never separating prayer and the Eucharist from his white coat. Lord, we too want to know and live our mission with love and consistency. Help us!
For Reflection
- Like Amos, I too am called to “prophesy.” How do I perceive the Lord’s call in my daily life? Is my ear attentive? How do I respond?
- To what extent do the values I bring to prayer find concrete expression in my daily choices? Are there dynamics in my relationships (family, work, friendship) where I am acting partially or with a lack of honesty?
- “This month, Lord, with your help, I would like to be more attentive to what you whisper in my heart.”
- “I would like to focus especially on improving that relationship where I struggle to act with ‘justice’: specifically, in succeeding to offer respect, forgiveness, compassion, and understanding to those who are hardest for me to love.”
This month’s meditation is by Sr. Loredana Mazzei, AVI.
