Tag: Prophet Amos

Holy Prophet Amos

The Holy Prophet Amos is known as the prophet of doom, the third of the Twelve Minor Prophets who lived during the eighth century before Jesus Christ. Amos accurately foretold the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel due to the unfaithfulness of the Israelites. That is, the tribes of Israel were governed by an idol-worshipper and the people joined in that worship of a golden calf (a false god) instead of the One, Living God. Thus, they rejected the God of Israel.

Biographically, little is known about his life and what we known comes from his book in the Bible, the first to be named after a Hebrew prophet.

The faith of the Church is seen in the liturgical hymns of the Divine Liturgy. In the Kontakion, therefore, for today’s Liturgy commemorates the Holy Prophet in this way:

Having purified your heart spiritually, O glorious Prophet Amos, you received the gift of prophecy from on high and proclaimed to all: “This is our God and beside Him there is no other.”

As point of comparison, today Amos is remembered liturgically by the Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox; the Armenians recall his memory on July 31 and the Latin Church has his feast on March 31.

Why is the Holy Prophet important for us today in the 21st century? The prophets remind us, like they did when they lived, to be faithful to the God who made us and continues to give us his gifts. Perhaps Amos’ own words are helpful to answer the question when he delivers God’s message:

“The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals. They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way’’ (Amos 2:6).

Holy Prophet Amos, keep us faithful to God and not false gods, pray for us.

The holy prophet and saint Amos

The Church liturgically recalls the memory of the holy prophet, Amos. Like the other prophets, he is revered as a saint. Amos is third of the Twelve Minor Prophets who lived during the eighth century before Jesus Christ.

The Church sings in the Kontakion: Purifying your fervent heart by the Spirit, / O glorious Prophet Amos, / And receiving the gift of prophecy from on high, / You cry with a loud voice to the nations: / This is our God, and there is none beside Him.

One of the minor prophets, Amos was the first to write down any of his public preaching. A shepherd by occupation, he was called by God to speak out against social injustice and hypocritical piety in Israel. Through his austere life in the wilderness, by his faith and his own intense consciousness of God’s justice, Amos was compelled to preach harsh words at a time when Israel was most prosperous and secure. His uncompromising prophecy exposes the peril in which Israel was placed by its complacency, the dishonesty of its courts, the mistreatment of the poor, the selfish affluence of its upper classes, and its dependency on military might rather than on the strength of God. He came into conflict with the priests and was expelled from Israel. (NS)

Let us renew our adherence to the Lord in all things following his holy precepts and living a holy life.

Saint Amos, pray for us.