Hosea 14:1-9, Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14 & 17, Matthew 10:16-23

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Hosea 14:1-9, Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14 & 17, Matthew 10:16-23

Hosea 14:1-9

My Beloved, these words were spoken by God through the prophet to the people of Israel chosen as His own from all the nations, but they find their ultimate fulfilment in You and the Church You have established.  Today, whole nations have turned from the worship of God, it is the little ones and the women who suffer.  The little ones are crushed and the child is ripped from the mother's womb as verse 1 has recorded.

"They will fall by the sword, their little ones will be crushed and women with child ripped open."

Yet, You do not abandon us, God has made a Covenant of Love with us in You.  He woos us back to Him through repentance and He promises to show us compassion and to blot our sins and forgive our debt.  You took our debt on Yourself and paid it in full.  Through Baptism we are no longer fatherless, we call God Father for we are Your brothers and sisters.

We receive Your Holy Spirit who helps us in our weakness and teaches us how to be pleasing to God our Father and to You.  The Father assures us of a love that no other people of other faiths have known, in Your Body dwells the fullness of the Father's love, wisdom and truth. He strengthens us in You, He heals our wavering through grace received in Holy Communion. He turns His wrath away from us in the Sacrament of Penance.  His Fragrance emanates from us because You abide in us and in Your Church always.

The work of Your Church flourishes through her members from the greatest to the least.  It produces a rich and plentiful harvest. Your Church flourishes and blossoms and she is renowned despite the desperate attempts of her enemies to bring her down and sully her.

As long as she is faithful, You promise to be with her.  You assure her that evil will never gain entrance into her and so can never prevail against her.  The Church is Your Sign in the world , it is Your Light, it is a city set on a hill top and all who come to her are given a share of Your life.

Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14 & 17

Verse 17
O Lord, open my lips,
and I will declare your praise.
My Beloved, touch my lips with the fiery touch of Your gentle Spirit and I will declare Your praise all the days of my life.

Matthew 10:16-23

My Beloved, You do not mince words when You tell us what we can expect as Your disciples and followers.  Whatever was done to You will be done to us as well.  If they mocked You, scourged You, hounded You out from town and village, sought to kill You repeatedly denigrated You and attributed Your actions and  divine power as coming from the evil one we can expect no less. 

They sought in every way to deny who You truly were despite all the signs; we too can expect the world and the enemies of the Church to treat us in the same way.  However You assure us of Your Presence and Your peace.  We are not to worry about what to say and how to say it.  We just need to trust You wholeheartedly and You will give us the words necessary to refute the lies and the false judgments.  We must not be scandalized even if family members ostracise us and betray us, You too were betrayed and denied by Your own.  If we have to flee then we must carry out our mission wherever we go for the Word and the Good News must reach the ends of the earth, so when You come again in glory the Kingdom of God which You came to establish will be ready to welcome You.

Maranatha Lord Jesus! Maranatha!