Reading 1 Hos 8:4-7, 11-13
They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;
they established princes, but without my approval.
With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
How long will they be unable to attain
innocence in Israel?
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames—
such is the calf of Samaria!
When they sow the wind,
they shall reap the whirlwind;
The stalk of grain that forms no ear
can yield no flour;
Even if it could,
strangers would swallow it.
When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger’s.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the LORD is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 115:3-4, 5-6, 7ab-8, 9-10
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have hands but feel not;
they have feet but walk not.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone that trusts in them.
R. The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Jn 10:14
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 9:32-38
A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
PLANTING A HURRICANE
"When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind." –Hosea 8:7
The prophet Hosea compares our sins to planting the wind. However, he compares the fruit of our sins to a hurricane! (Hos 8:7) Each sin we commit is like a gust of wind. If the wind is unabated by sincere repentance, the winds gather and escalate to a hurricane or tornado that blows us and our nation further away from Jesus.
Jesus and the Father have sent the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow us back to God (Jn 3:5). When we operate in the Spirit, we sow the wind (see Jn 3:8). As our good works are multiplied, the wind of the Spirit gathers to form a strong, driving wind (Acts 2:2ff). We sow the wind of obedience to God, and we reap the whirlwind of the Spirit (Hos 8:7), far stronger than any tornado. The Spirit wants to use us to blow down Satan's strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). Imagine evil strongholds, like the scourge of illegal drugs, abortion, human greed which perpetuates widespread hunger, etc., being destroyed in a mighty gust. What a joyful day it will be to see Satan's strongholds toppled in a whirlwind!
"Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what he sows. If he sows in the field of the flesh, he will reap a harvest of corruption; but if his seed-ground is the Spirit, he will reap everlasting life. Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest" of faith and justice (Gal 6:7-9).
| PRAYER: | "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." |
| PROMISE: | "Beg the Harvest Master to send out laborers to gather His harvest." –Mt 9:37-38 |
| PRAISE: | St. Anthony popularized Forty Hours devotions. |
No comments:
Post a Comment