Reading I
Hos 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Gospel
Lk 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity B
greedy, dishonest, adulterous B or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Meditation: Hosea 6:1-6
Doesn’t this reading sound confusing? The Israelites urge each other to return to the Lord, but God rejects their offer—and quite firmly. What would provoke God to such an angry, even bitter, response?
“It is love that I desire, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). That was the whole problem. God looked past the Israelites’ words and found that their hearts hadn’t changed. Their words were lofty, but there was nothing behind them. He knew that fine rhetoric like this was “like the dew that early passes away” (Hosea 6:4). God didn’t want empty piety. He wanted a people who would treat one another with justice and mercy. He wanted a people who would care for the poor and not exploit them. He wanted a people who would live his covenant seven days a week, not only on the Sabbath.
God hasn’t changed since the days of Hosea. He still wants his church to be a people set apart for him. He still wants to see us live in holiness, purity, justice, and obedience. And he still disapproves of any ways in which we try to get a “quick fix” of religion on Sundays only to spend the rest of the week doing whatever we want.
So what should we do about this, especially if today’s reading strikes a chord in us? For one thing, we can repent. God loves it when we turn back to him and admit our failings—not because he likes to see us humiliated but because he knows how much more powerfully he can work when we are repentant instead of self-satisfied. The whole point of Confession is healing and restoration, not an exercise in crime and punishment.
But more than repentance, we should also make a plan to change. It may include a specific commitment to daily prayer. It may involve a regular examination of our consciences and taking practical steps to help us avoid sin. It may also involve a decision to share more fully in the work of the church, either for evangelization or for social justice.
God wants to change our lives, but to do this, he needs our cooperation. So repent, and make a plan that involves not only sacrifice but love.
“Jesus, I surrender my heart to you so that you can give me a new one. Make me more like you, Lord!”
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