Hosea
14:2-10 / Mark 12:28-34
God speaks through Hosea: Return
to the Lord!
Father Malachi’s Miracle by
Bruce Marshall has a moving scene of a priest trying to help a dying sailor
make a good confession. The trouble is the sailor says he’s honestly not sorry
for his many affairs in many ports. They are his only pleasant memories of an
otherwise difficult life. Finally, in desperation, the priest says to the old
sailor, “Are you sorry, at least, that you’re not sorry?” Sometimes it’s also
hard for us to realize how badly we’ve failed God in our lives. As a result, we
don’t feel repentant or any need to “return to the Lord.” If and when this
happens to us, we should at least tell God we’re sorry that we aren’t sorry for
our failure.
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How
conscious are we of our shortcomings? “Many do not recognize Christ because
they do not recognize themselves as sinners. If I am no sinner, I have no need
of Christ.” Kilian McDonnell
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When we read books like the
"7 Habits of Highly-effective People" or "The Joy of
Living" or other inspirational books, they give very interesting and very
good pointers for life. Yet, when we think about it carefully, the principles
of life are actually very simple. It is actually what Jesus said in today's gospel:
Love God and love neighbour. Sounds simple, but it may take a whole life-time
to discover the truth of such a simple statement. Because we tend to love
things and be self-centered. Yet the season of Lent calls us back to the love
of God.
In the 1st reading, the prophet
Hosea not only called his people back to this love of God, he also proclaimed
how much God loves His people even though they turned away from Him. We may
remember that hymn of Hosea - Come back to me with all your heart, don't let fear
keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply
our new life.
The way of life is indeed simple:
Love God and neighbour. That is the way that Jesus is teaching us. As the 1st
reading ends off - For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk
in them, but sinners stumble.
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Friday of 3rd Week of
Lent- LITURGY
CONVERSION TO GOD IN
LOVE
Introduction
Many human endeavors fail because God is left out of the
picture. Israel wanted to go her own way, relying on her resources and
alliances with the mighty of the day. The mighty are toppled by mightier ones,
and everything collapses. People today try to establish prosperity and
happiness, but at the expense of others, with the force of arms or relying on
gadgets, money, or palliatives. We cannot be saved without God. Salvation lies
in love of God and is expressed in love of our neighbor. The rule of life of
Christians is: Love God with your whole being, and your neighbor as yourself;
see God in your neighbor and see also a bit of yourself in your neighbor.
Penitential Rite:
-As we hear, return, O people, to the LORD, your God; you
have collapsed through your guilt. LHM
- Forgive all our iniquity, and receive what is good, that
we may render you offerings, CHM
-Let us hear from you, Lord, “I will heal their defection
and I will love them freely, LHM
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, all throughout history people have experienced
that we cannot be happy if we rely merely on our own insights and resources. God, do not let us idolize anything made with
our own hands, but may we humbly seek justice, truth and happiness in
cooperation and communion with you, as you taught us through Jesus Christ who
lives with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Commentary
The Great Commandment has been saved for this third week of
Lent. If one can speak of the genius of Christianity, it certainly finds
expression in the first and greatest commandment. It is a summary of the entire
Christian ethic. This precept combines
two concepts from the Old Testament. The first is the great Shema from the Book
of Deuteronomy, an unequivocal statement of monotheistic faith. Yahweh is God
and he alone; the response required is total and uncompromising. As the only
God, he is to be loved with the totality of one’s forces (heart, soul, and
mind). This recognition of God’s absolute sovereignty is coupled with a thought
from Leviticus. It expresses the horizontal dimension of our moral life. Our
neighbor is to be loved as we love ourselves, and neighbor here is to be taken
in a broad sense. Unlike its earlier meaning, it is not limited to other
Israelites. It calls for openness to any human being. To answer the question of
the Good Samaritan parable—“Who is my neighbor?”—the answer is anyone who has
need of me. The recognition of God and
neighbor leaves no middle ground. It is a summary of the entire New Testament
ethic, especially the Sermon on the Mount. We are called to recognize from the
heart the sovereignty and goodness of God and to respond to the needs of others
as they occur. Hosea’s insistent call to
conversion is at the heart of his message. Sadly Israel had abandoned her first
love and gone after empty idols. In this moving book, the prophet calls, with
insistence for a “return.” The lesson of forgiveness is a good benchmark here.
As John asks, How can I say that I love God whom I do not see and do not love
my neighbor whom I see? In short, the Christian is the one who loves prayer but
also has a spirit of availability toward brother and sister. Be sure that in
making an examination of conscience, the Great Commandment is a worthy tool. In
a real sense, that says it all.
Points to Ponder
Does God have full sway in my life?
The relationship between love of God and neighbour
Recognizing one’s neighbor in today’s world
Intercessions
– That Christians everywhere may not be people of legalisms
and outward observances, but people with a heart who do what they have to do
and more, because they are God’s children, we pray:
– That the nations of the world may respect and love one
another and build peace and progress on the basis of justice and equitable
sharing, we pray:
– That our anemic and dried-up love may become rich and
spontaneous, like a fresh breath of life and joy brightening the lives of those
around us and a wordless song of praise to God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God and Father, we are gathered here for this
Eucharist to celebrate the coming among us of your life and love through your
Son. May our offering be the recognition
that you loved us before we could love you.
Help us to express our grateful love to you by extending our hands to
all who are called to be brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
brother for ever.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord, our God and Father, you have broken for us the
life-giving bread of your Son. By the
strength of the Eucharist, may we love you, our living God, with all that is in
us and our neighbor far and near as much as we love ourselves. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
