Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - Wednesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 and Matt 10:1-7]"Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain down justice upon you." [Hosea]
It has been said that some folks sow wild oats during the week and go to church on Sunday to pray for crop failure!!! Hosea takes aim at both ends of that saying! At the beginning of the passage for today's first scripture, he attacks the corrupt piety of the people who have been turning to idolatry, adopting the religious practices and deities of surrounding cultures. Then he attacks the social injustices in the land. The last line, quoted above, sums up the critique.
Hosea's critique is surprisingly modern. What IS the connection between our piety and our everyday living out of the gospel? If the latter consists only of religious devotions, whether sacramental or not, we are in trouble! If we care only about going to church and saying our prayers and forget about "the least of my brethren," we will have a lot to answer for on judgment day. [Matthew 25:31-45]. If we narrow our concern to only one aspect of human life and forget about all others, what will we have to say on that day?
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that people really miss going to church and receiving the Eucharist. One can hope that this desire means a way of life that isn't sowing wild oats!! Hosea is watching! AMEN