Amos offers an astonishing vision of the day when the Lord will bring His people back to their homeland from exile and the land will produce its fruits far beyond what anyone could expect. It is a vision suited to an agricultural people of the messianic era when God would renew and restore His people.

Nowadays we read and hear many news reports of the tragic destruction of many nations whose ethnic communities have been forced to flee their lands and whose homes have been left in ruins - Gaza, Lebanon, the Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar… the list could continue on. Pope Leo has been tireless in his condemnation of the wars that have caused this destruction and traced their origin to the greed and hunger for power of leaders who have completely lost their moral compass. Today's reading reminds us that the Lord has not forgotten the people He has created and offers them, and us, this vision of a better world we are all called upon to realise together with the Lord's help. In spite of our failures and the evil that men continue to do, the Lord has not forgotten His children and encourages us to dream dreams, and entertain visions that will inspire us to cooperate in building a better world, grounded in love of God and love of our neighbour.