Word to the Wise
Monday, July 9, 2018 - Monday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 and Matt 9:18-26]MONDAY, JULY 9, 2018 ST. JOHN OF COLOGNE OP, Dominican martyr during the Reformation [Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 and Matthew 9:18-26] I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord. [Hosea] Prophets in the Old Testament were asked to do many interesting things to get attention! Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute. Her repeated infidelity and Hosea’s efforts to call her back became a symbol of God’s relationship to Israel! The history of that relationship as recounted in the Old Testament was one of repeated loss of fidelity by turning to local pagan deities, especially those of fertility! Again and again, prophets like Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Ezekiel would challenge the people to return to their special relationship with God, their status as a Chosen People. Hosea’s marriage became a living symbol of that effort. Hosea’s prophecy has found its way into modern spiritual reflection, especially the first lines about being led into the desert. I know a retreat center where those words are printed prominently on the wall of the chapel! At the same time, it is important to remember WHY God lures us, as God did to Israel. It is love for a less than faithful spouse. It takes effort to understand that we can have that kind of relationship to God. It takes even more effort to sustain it, but the rewards are deeply satisfying. Where is our own “desert?” Have we been faithful? God is waiting for us and even calling! We can be grateful all these centuries later to Hosea for reminding us of all that could be. AMEN
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