In its original context the phrase “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable” referred to the role of newspapers. When we apply it to prophets like Amos it reminds us that they served something of the role that media plays in modern society. Amos looked beneath the gaudy excesses of the royal court and denounced the corruption that required a divine response. When the nation was devastated he fulfilled the opposite role and brought a message of hope in the midst of their troubles. At our baptism each of us was anointed with that dual prophetic vocation. When we see the afflicted — the poor and needy — we comfort them with service. When we see injustice we are obliged to denounce it as ungodly.
JULY72018
By Church Staff
