“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Luke 21:12–15
In the eighth century B.C., the prophet Hosea emerged in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (782–753 B.C.). This was a period of relative peace and economic prosperity, especially for the ruling elite and merchant class. But beneath the surface, instability brewed. Following Jeroboam’s death, Israel saw six kings rise and fall within just 25 years—four of them assassinated. This political chaos stood in stark contrast to the more stable Davidic monarchy in the southern kingdom of Judah. By 743 B.C., the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Near East shifted dramatically. Tiglath-Pileser III, the ruthless king of Assyria, launched a military campaign against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Like his contemporary Amos, the prophet Hosea warned both the monarch and the people of the impending devastation. Their message was clear: Israel must repent. The Lord was preparing to use Assyria as an instrument of judgment and purification. Ultimately, Hosea’s warnings proved true. The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed. Samaria, its capital, fell, and in 722 B.C., the majority of its inhabitants were taken into exile to a distant land—never to return.
In a moving message addressed to the bishops, priests, religious men and women, and lay people gathered in Puebla de los Ángeles for the XVII National Missionary Congress of Mexico (Congreso Nacional Misionero, XVII CONAMI), Pope Leo XIV recalled that the true missionary shares “the faith as one shares bread.” Christ himself attracts him and calls him to “put his hand in the dough of history,” so that faith, like leaven, may act “in the history and culture of the people, transforming them from within.”
One of the sweetest memories from my childhood was spending summer days in the hills of Córdoba, Argentina, in a small village where my grandparents lived. We’d visit them every year, and those days were filled with joy. I remember the stream that ran down through the colorful stones, its waters crystal clear, fresh, and pure. My younger brother, cousins, and I would play in it until sunset—building little dams, catching tiny fish, splashing around. Time flew by so fast! Last year, my brother came to visit me, and we went to Tai-O, on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Some Filipino friends took us to a waterfall that poured down from the mountain. The solitude of the place, the shadows, and the cool, clear water brought back those unforgettable days by the stream in that little village on the hills.
In Amos 7:10–17, we witness a dramatic confrontation between the prophet Amos and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. Amaziah, acting as a royal official, reports Amos to King Jeroboam II, accusing him of conspiracy and sedition: “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.” (Am 7:10) Amaziah’s reaction reveals the tension between prophetic truth and institutional power. Amos, a shepherd from Judah, is seen as a threat to the Northern Kingdom’s political and religious establishment. This episode illustrates a central biblical principle: the prophetic vocation stands above monarchy and priesthood, serving as the voice of God’s justice and mercy.
After Sunday Mass on October 26th, Father Ambrose Kimutai, parish priest of the church in Ndaraweta, Bomet County, in the Western Rift Valley, once again drew attention to the exploitation suffered by small tea producers, whose wealth inevitably ends up in the hands of corrupt officials. With this appeal, Father Ambrose is giving voice to the “small tea producers of Bomet, Kericho, and Nandi counties.” They are the ones who produce the enormous quantities of tea from which Kenya reaps huge profits through its export, which, in theory, allows it to pay the salaries of civil servants, teachers, and other employees. However, “and unfortunately,” the very system created by the government is destroying small farmers, imposing structures that exploit them and prevent them from obtaining sufficient income. Father Ambrose refers to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), a state agency founded in 1964 with the intention of helping local farmers improve their production and which buys a large portion of the tea grown in the Rift Valley region.
Visits to schools and charitable institutions, prayer meetings, Eucharistic Adoration and a hike in Coloane. These are some of the initiatives that the Macau Diocesan Youth Commission will organize in the upcoming weeks. Instead of being confined to a single afternoon, this year’s Diocesan Youth Day will be commemorated as a month-long celebration.
Amos’ “woes” are more than just warnings—they are cries of sorrow for a nation falling apart because of injustice, hypocrisy, and pride. Each woe reveals a different layer of Israel’s spiritual decline and points to the coming judgment from God. When we talk about Israel here, we mean the Northern Kingdom, which was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. The northern tribes were taken into exile and never returned; These are known as the “lost tribes of Israel.” Woe to the Corrupt Courts: Justice Turned to Poison (Am 5:7–17) Amos condemns the perversion of justice, where truth is despised and the poor are crushed. The city gate—the place of legal trials—has become a den of contempt. “Woe to those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground” (5:7) “They hate those who reprove at the gate, and abhor those who speak with integrity” (5:10)
Halloween Is a Celebration that Does not Worship the Devil
“Hallows” means “holy.” So, Halloween is the celebration of the feast of All Hallows (All Saints).It is a day when Catholics celebrate the triumph of the Church in heaven and the lives of the saints on earth.
The Catholic community of Hon Tre village dates back to the 1960s, when several families of believers settled on Hai Tac, “Pirate Island,” to achieve a more dignified life there. Later, at the initiative of these local parishioners led by Father Michael Le Tan Cong, a church, a school, and a medical center were built there. Located 28 kilometers from the mainland, at the southernmost point of the country, the only way to reach Hai Tac is by speedboat, a one-hour trip.