God Desires Justice, Not Burnt Offerings

Homily for Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Today, we hear Amos speak with urgency: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” It is not complicated, but it is costly. The prophet exposes the danger of a spiritual life that looks busy but lacks justice. The Lord rejects festivals, sacrifices, assemblies—because they have become disconnected from compassion. What God wants is simple and demanding: “Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.” In other words, let your worship spill into your life.

Psalm 50 echoes the same truth. God does not need our offerings; He desires our hearts. The psalm warns against a faith that recites the right words but refuses the right life: “Why do you recite my statutes… while you hate discipline?” It is a reminder that the Lord listens not only to our prayers but also to our choices.

In the Gospel, Jesus enters the region of the Gadarenes and confronts the forces that distort human dignity. The demons recognize Him instantly because they know His authority. But the townspeople, seeing the man healed and restored, beg Jesus to leave. The Lord has brought liberation, but they prefer the familiar patterns of fear and control.

The contrast is striking: the demons acknowledge Jesus; the healed man clings to Him; the townspeople push Him away. The readings invite a gentle examination. Do our prayers flow into mercy? Do our liturgies shape our treatment of one another? Do our ministries reflect the justice Amos describes? Or have we grown comfortable with a faith that asks little of us beyond routine?

The Lord who calms storms and restores the possessed man desires to restore us as well. He asks only that we seek good, love justice, and allow His grace to reshape our hearts. May our worship today become the “unfailing stream” Amos envisioned—flowing quietly, steadily, into our lives.