The oracle from the prophet Hosea which we read today paints a picture of Israel’s infidelity. It is not a pretty picture. After reading this description, one would be hard pressed to come up with a reason why God should not simply give up on the children of Israel. While the Israelites have not yet come to the realization of God’s faithfulness, we know to what lengths God will go to redeem the people. God never could and never did give up. God remains faithful to the covenant even if they did not.
The clear message of the Scriptures is that no matter how much we flounder, God is always with us. We can see this again in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew, where we hear that Jesus is going around curing people because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. These are people who are discovering that God will never leave them in their time of need, even if they were to turn away from him. Even the mute person possessed by the demon is not out of the reach of Jesus.
Knowing that God is with us is not a reason to be nonchalant about our relationship with God. Knowing the God is pure mercy and love does not give us a free ticket to do whatever we want. For the grace of God in the sacraments to be fully realized in us, we must cooperate with God. We must imitate the people in the Gospel who are obviously positioning themselves for help by coming near Jesus. Although we do not know about the people who were not present that day, we do know that Jesus was moved with pity for those who came to him, and that he is the true Shepherd on whom we must depend.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Some cultures, such as our culture, are built on an attitude of fierce independence, but our faith requires faithful obedience and dependence upon God. Through our dependence upon God, we are able to act on the truth of the Gospel. Do not hesitate to lean on the knowledge that God will not abandon you. At the same time, take every opportunity to draw close to God in order to benefit from that knowledge. Finally, remember to share that knowledge with others as we have been commanded.