Seek good. Not evil.
Good morning,
Amos, the writer of today’s first reading (Am. 5:14-15,21-24) was a real prophet for today. He was a shepherd who probably owned his flock, and also a grower of sycamore trees – or ancient fig trees. So he was just an ordinary guy, getting on with the business of making ends meet – albeit quite successfully.
He was not, therefore, a professional prophet but he challenged the people of Israel to live righteously. His main complaint was about corruption in society, oppression of the poor and immoral leadership. Sound familiar? Amos did not care about what people thought of him but put God first and Israel second.
His words of wisdom in today’s reading challenge us to “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” Choosing good may not make people popular, but we may do well to remind ourselves that Jesus himself was not interested in popularity either.
A few nuts and bolts:
Peter and Liz Walker run a very successful feeding and outreach programme for the poor. They are making an urgent appeal for clothes for young boys. Please will you drop off anything that can be of use to them at the parish office this week. Please note that the office is only open in the mornings at the moment.
Thank you to those of you who have responded to the appeal to support the church financially during this lockdown. Please keep it coming. Thank you.
As mentioned on Monday, the Zoomchat will take place on Thursday evenings every second week. We will make the link available to everyone on the group in future in case you decide to join at short notice. Looking forward to seeing you.
As always, may God bless you and keep you safe. Dc Mike and the team.
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