Amos was an unlikely prophet or missionary. He was not a member of the prophets' union (there was one!) but a shepherd and dresser of trees. The professional prophets mocked him by calling him a visionary and a dreamer. Amos was not popular. He was a foreigner and telling people things that they did not want to hear; things which were upsetting. But Amos responded to God's call and left his own people to speak to his kinsfolk in the North. He went where he was sent and would not leave without delivering the message God gave to him.

True prophets and missionaries not only challenge the current situation but also energize people to make changes in themselves and in the situation. True prophets and missionaries bring hope that the future can and will be different if we are willing to be changed, if we will take note of how very close to us our God is and remains. True prophets and missionaries call us to be the people we were created to be: daughters and sons of God, holy and blameless before God and full of love. True missionaries are converted, made purer and receive the grace to live with a clear conscience by the authentic practice of their religion.