Brief synopsis of the readings: In our first reading Amaziah, priest of Bethel commanded that the prophet Amos leave Judah. There he could earn his living as a prophet but must never prophesy again in Bethel. Amos answered that he was no prophet but instead was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. He is prophesying because the Lord told him to. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus told the Twelve to go out in pairs and Jesus gave them power over unclean spirits. They were instructed to take nothing but a walking stick and a pair of sandals. Jesus also told them to find one house to stay in. If a place did not welcome them they were to shake the dust from their feet and leave. On their journey they drove out many demons and anointed many with oil and cured them.

At first blush we can look at these two readings as the agony and the ecstasy. Mark’s Gospel gives all of us the image we all want. They went out two by two and performed miracles; evangelists of all eras look on readings like this as the halcyon days. If only it was that simple for us. Amos, on the other hand, is a different story. Technically, Jesus’ followers were evangelists (who spread the word of God to those who do not yet believe) while Amos was a prophet (someone called by God to proclaim God’s will). This may be a distinction without a difference because both groups call us to listen, to pay attention, and to conform to God’s plan.

Problem is, not everyone is receptive to the message. Today’s first reading is a case in point. Here we see Amos being exiled and told to never return and to especially not prophesy to the locals. This is hardly unique; a prophet who does not stir up trouble wouldn’t be much of a prophet. Like many of the “minor” prophets of the Old Testament, many Jews and Christians know very little of him but those who are familiar with his writings hail him as a hero for social justice.

Anyone familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King are aware of his quotation: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:24)” Now far be it for me not to use Dr. King’s favorite verse, but I love verses 21-22 where God says: “I hate, I spurn your feasts, I take no pleasure in your solemnities. Your cereal offerings I will not accept, nor consider your stall fed peace offerings.”

Let me give this a little context. Amos’ society, like ours, had great disparities of wealth. Part of their worship required them to sacrifice some of their stuff to God. Wealthy people sacrificed large, expensive items like oxen and poor people sacrificed what they could, like turtle doves. But God, through Amos, refuses these expensive sacrifices because they lack justice.

The reading claims that Amos is a shepherd and “dresser of sycamores.” As I’ve said in previous homilies, shepherding is a hard way to make a living and nearly everyone who did it had few other choices. The sycamores discussed here are not like the sycamore trees here in North America. They produce fig trees but require a great deal more work in growing the figs. In addition to speaking for God, Amos was likely speaking on behalf of other shepherds and vine dressers. The rich could not buy favor with God if they were not treating the poor well.

The history of social justice is a fraught one. The wealthy often fear calls for social justice and find all sorts of reasons to defend their wealth but the issue isn’t so much wealth as it is equity. It’s also not a call that government or any earthly authority should try to even everything out: our history has shown that those attempts do nothing but make everyone poor.

But Amos does demand that we pay attention to those around us and make sure everyone has what he needs. We can easily see him as a prophet but we can perhaps also see him as a union organizer of his fellow shepherds and dressers of sycamores. This is a long tradition and has shown itself with Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum and U.S. Bishop’s 1986 document Economic Justice For All. Our tradition does not hold that economic security for all depends on giving enough excess to the wealthy that some of it will trickle down. Instead our tradition insists that we begin with the needs and dignity of each person. When we speak of “preferential option for the poor” we don’t reverse the wealth hierarchy but instead recognize that if the poor are cared for everyone will do well.

And the good news is that this this work and advocacy is available to everyone. When we read accounts like the one in Mark where Jesus sends his people out we may have a hard time connecting with that simply because most of us aren’t called to pick up a walking stick and hit the road. But evangelization need not begin with the word “Jesus.” It can begin with the word “justice.” Catholic organizations like St. Vincent de Paul don’t require a belief in Jesus Christ. Catholic schools often educate the poor and immigrants of other faiths.

Many years ago I had the good fortune of ministering as a chaplain in a prison. I was amused that the inmate whose job was keeping the chapel clean was an atheist who thought we were sincere but misguided fools. We never talked specifically about faith or religion simply because that wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. But when he did something wrong (and I never found out what it was) he spent a month in solitary confinement. I didn’t think much of this but I made a point of visiting him as often as I could and ensure, as best as I could, that he had what he needed in terms of human contact. I’m not sure he ever became a believer but he made a point of telling me how much he valued that I “took care of him.” I didn’t feel that I did very much but I gave him the human contact he was lacking.

And we don’t even have to do that. We have the ability to vote, to support candidates and causes that advance justice. We can be, as Dr. King proclaimed, the justice that rolls down like rivers to an everlasting stream. And we can do that where we are instead of needing to pick up a walking stick.