Daily Readings - Fri Mar 09 2018
First Reading - Hosea 14.1-9
Hosea
O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Gospel - Mark 12.28b-34
Mark
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are invited to reflect on the essence of our faith and our relationship with God and one another. The first reading from Hosea speaks of Israel’s return to the Lord, emphasizing repentance and the removal of iniquity. Hosea uses vivid imagery—dew, lilies, and cedars—to illustrate the healing and restoration that comes from turning back to God. This passage reminds us that our relationship with God is not static; it requires constant conversion and openness to divine grace. The second reading from Mark’s Gospel shifts our focus to the heart of the law. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responds by citing Deuteronomy, calling us to love God with our whole being and our neighbor as ourselves. This exchange highlights the unity of love for God and love for others as the foundation of Christian life.
The readings are deeply connected in their emphasis on the relational nature of faith. Hosea calls Israel to return to the Lord, not out of fear or obligation, but because God’s love is transformative and life-giving. Similarly, Jesus in Mark’s Gospel teaches that the greatest commandments are not about rituals or rules but about the quality of our love for God and neighbor. Together, these readings remind us that faith is not merely intellectual assent or external piety but a lived commitment to love and relationship. They challenge us to examine our hearts and actions, asking whether our lives reflect the love and mercy that God has shown us.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us consider where we may need to “return” to the Lord. Are there areas in our lives where we have wandered from God’s path? Do we allow ourselves to be transformed by His love? And how do we love our neighbors—those around us, whether they are easy to love or challenging? The moral lesson here is clear: our faith is both personal and relational. It calls us to deepen our intimacy with God and to live out that relationship in tangible ways of love and service to others. May we, like the scribe in the Gospel, respond wisely to God’s invitation, walking in the straight paths of the Lord, and may our lives bear fruit that reflects His love and truth.