RBWords

     Our daily first scriptures move now to a prophet very different from the thunder of Amos.  Amos aimed at rulers and society.  Hosea looks to fidelity to the covenant and knowledge of God.  God asks Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer, who is constantly unfaithful to him (Hosea).  Gomer becomes a symbol of Israel's infidelity to the covenant and Hosea becomes a symbol of God's love, loyalty and mercy in his efforts to get Israel (Gomer) to return.  The lines quoted above are an eloquent summary of Hosea's (God's) efforts.

     When our baptismal covenant becomes a thing of the past, we too can wander off.  We take a "that was then, this is now" attitude.  Many marriages and close friendships have been destroyed by that attitude.  "You are no longer the person I married!" is a line one might hear.  The answer to that is, "Yes I am and no I'm not!"  Knowledge of God requires that we continue to grow in our relationship to God.  For this to happen, we have to be continually faithful to the covenant.  Mistakes and failures will be a part of this effort, but Hosea assures us that God is not going to give up on us.  On retreats I ask participants to do a "history" of their relationship to God, beginning from the first prayers they were taught to say, and then asking how this differs from where they are now?   Marriages and close friendships can benefit from the same effort.  We can only really know God or one another by continual fidelity to our covenant with God or friend.  Hosea would agree, I think!  AMEN