Wednesday of the 14th week in the ordinary time
Theme: Repent and return to the Lord
In the 1st reading of today, the prophet Hosea admonishes the people to retrace their steps and return back to the Lord. This is because the people have deviated from the path of God and taken to their own ways that was not pleasing in the sight of God. Their action was going to bring down the wrought of God upon them in a very disastrous way. The people have taken their own path and have forgotten the ways of God. The attitude and way of life of the people in today’s 1st reading may not be very different to the way some of us are living our lives at the moment; we have taken a path that has taken us far away from the path that God has given to us. We may be doing this in different ways in our life. It could be the worship of idols in different forms. Like the worship of different gods and things that has taken the place of God in our lives. It could be the way we are feeding our bad habits that are detrimental to our attaining eternal life. All these different attitudes can easily attract the anger of God against us, as seen in the 1st reading of today from the prophet Hosea.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, one thing that is very important to us as children of God, is the fact that we must not allow anything to take the place of God in our life. He is supreme and does not share his position with anyone or thing in our life as his children. We must always do our best to keep a good relationship with God by our way of life. When we do this, we have nothing to lose but everything good to gain. As many of us that are willing to remain connected with God, his grace will always be sufficient for us.
This can be made possible if we take the response to our psalm today seriously. It says, ‘constantly seek the Lord’s face’. As long as we keep to it, the grace of God will never fail us, no matter the situation we find ourselves. Dearly beloved in Christ, always remember that our goal as children of God is to make heaven, so we must stay away from anything that will deny us from making heaven at the end of our life here on earth. As Jesus mandates his disciples today in the gospel, to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, so also he has sent men and women to you and I in different ways; to retrace our steps and return back to God. Nothing must stop you from accepting the invitation from Jesus to retrace your steps and return back to God.
May God bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.