During the next eight weeks, we will be reading the books of the prophets. Though their world was completely different from that in which we live, they nevertheless spoke within a human race that in many ways has not much changed since their day. They did not speak on their own initiative - they were not philosophers or thinkers. They spoke only because of the mission they received from God. Hence the content of their message came from God and contained that moral authority which belongs to God.

We begin with a reading from Amos. His message is one that must be heard once again in every age and in every society: there can be no disjunction between religion and social justice. We have taken his words to heart and so speak of the notion of "faith which does justice". We understand this, however, more broadly than Amos did. For Amos, the religious person had to be just in all his ways, particularly in his dealings with others. This, of course, is still true, but now there is another dimension: if we believe in God and in all that our religious teaches us, we will not merely be just in ourselves but will strive to bring about justice in the world.