God Invites Us To Return To Him

 

He asks us to return to Him with confession.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Friday of 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, July 12th, 2024
Texts: Hosea 14:1-9; Psalm 51:3-4,8-9,12-14,17; Matthew 10:16-23 

In today’s first reading, God invites us to return to Him and assures us of gracious life. He says, “Return, O Israel, to the  Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. We are the Israel. Concerning gracious life He says, “I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.” 

God does not ask us to come to Him with goat, ram, yams or the likes. Yet He does not ask us to come to Him empty handed. He asks us to return to Him with confession. He puts it thus: “Take with you words and return to the  Lord; say to him, ‘Take away all iniquity; accept that which is good and we will render the fruit of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God’, to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." 

God takes away our iniquity

Once we confess our sins, God takes away our iniquity. He says, “I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” In the words of St. John: “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).   

Jesus Christ deepens the message in the gospel reading. He assures us of God’s support but also affirms that we will face challenges because of our choice of Him. He says, “When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you...  and you will be hated by all for my name's sake.” 

 Prayer 

Lord Jesus, give us the courage to return to You when we go astray; do not let us be lost forever. We also ask you for the grace to persevere till the end in our faith, that we may save our souls. Amen. 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke