We are in for a treat today with today’s Mass readings. The prophet Hosea’s creative use of poetic language captures our imaginations while Jesus’ evocative example in the Gospel underlines a central tenet for our Christian journey. 

Hosea is more than just one of the twelve minor prophets of the Christian Old Testament. According to the traditional order of most Hebrew Bibles, Hosea is the first of the Twelve. He is most known for denouncing idolatry. By most accounts, Hosea is writing after the fall of the Northern Kingdom (722 B.C.), when Assyria is the greatest nation of the time. The Jewish priests and leaders have been swayed by the Canaanite worship of two gods: Baal, the storm god, and Ashram, the Canaanite fertility god. Hosea tries, without much success, to invite people back to the God of Israel. He tells them: “…Let us return to the Lord, it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.” (Hos. 6:1) He then uses the example of his own marriage, comparing it to the infidelity of the Israelites. He describes divorcing his wife, Gomer, and then trying to buy her back from the man she is living with. She eventually returns and is forgiven by Hosea for her transgressions, just as the Lord welcomes back all who sincerely repent of their sins. Whether Hosea’s marriage was used analogously or not, the lesson is clear - the divisions we experience are of our own making. God alone brings harmony to our lives. 

The central lesson of the Gospel is that we are dependent upon God. The Pharisee thought his fasting and tithing was enough to win God’s favor. He failed to understand that nothing we can do is enough without God’s underlying grace. Jesus tells the Pharisees and scribes - and all who think themselves better than others - that the tax collector was the man who was justified in God’s sight. His humility, combined with God’s mercy, is the true path to heaven. 

Lenten Blessings,

Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.