Daily Readings - Fri Mar 09 2018
Hosea
1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!2Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.3Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion."4"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.5I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;6his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.7Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.8O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."9Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Mark
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
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.