ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 15, 2026
In the translation known as the Message, Amos 8:4-7 speaks powerfully… Listen to this, you who walk all over the weak,
August 15, 2026
In the translation known as the Message, Amos 8:4-7 speaks powerfully… Listen to this, you who walk all over the weak,
you who treat poor people as less than nothing,
Who say, “When’s my next paycheck comingg
so I can go out and live it up?
How long till the weekend
when I can go out and have a good time?
“
Who give little and take much,
and never do an honest day’s work.
You exploit the poor, using them—
and then, when they’re used up, you discard them.
God swears against the arrogance of Jacob:
“I’m keeping track of their every last sin.”
According to Rabbi Abraham Heschel: “The prophet’s words are outbursts of violent emotions. [The prophet’s] rebuke is harsh and relentless. But if such deep sensitivity to evil is to be called hysterical, what name should be given to the abysmal indifference to evil which the prophet bewails?” Heschel went on to reinforce just how highly sensitive the prophets were to evil and injustice. In rereading a number of the prophets over the last few weeks, I have come to think of them as those who feel evil like most of us feel fingernails dragging down a chalkboard. They sense it at the core of their being, and ignoring it is clearly not an option. Their ultimate goal is not the destruction of people, but the transformation of those whose sinful ways bring suffering upon the powerless. The prophet wants nothing more than for the perpetrators of injustice to realize, relinquish, repent, and seek reconciliation. That’s a journey we all must take, and for most of us, it is one we will take numerous times in life if we are listening to the challenging words of the prophets.
May the prophetic voices you have inspired, O Lord, give me reason to seek holy change in my life. Ultimately, I wish to be a part of your loving Kin(g)dom. Amen.
