The time that the prophet Hosea preached was a heartbreaking time for God. The children of Israel had abandoned God and drifted so far away from Him. They had foreign gods to worship, like Baal; their faith was in armies and foreign alliances; the law of God barely meant anything to them. They were terribly lost as a nation and consequently hurt themselves in all ways you can imagine.
In today’s reading, though, from the Prophet Hosea, we see something hidden deep in the heart of God. His heart pained for Israel. God longed for Israel to return to Him, and He offered an invitation. Unlike other times when God challenged, warned, and threatened, this time around, He shifted to a language of tender love to invite, to propose, to paint a picture of how easy the process of restoration would look, and how the new future would be better than what they had. The paraphrased poetry by God in the book of the Prophet Hosea is beautiful!
Return to me, O Israel! I will heal any of your hurts and imperfections! I will love you freely and to the moon, no more anger towards you! I will be like the dew for you – I will settle gently and give you life. You will blossom like the lily. Your glory shall be like the olive tree. Your fragrance shall be like the Lebanon cedar. You shall blossom like the vine. Your fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon!
My brothers and sisters, hidden behind this poetry is a message for each of us. The Lord desires to forgive us, to heal us, and to restore us. He gives us a gentle path back to Him. He tells us that we don’t need grand gestures of repentance like sacrifices of bullocks and months of prayer, He simply asks to come with honest ‘words.’ He asks us to begin with an honest conversation, with our lips confessing our brokenness, admitting our powerlessness, and letting Him know of our need for Him. The Lord promises to “forgive all iniquity” and to help us “receive what is good.” He promises never to let us collapse under the weight of our guilt. His promise is to love us “freely” without any conditions. Many times, we are under the mistaken notion that we have to earn our way back to God’s grace; instead, God lets us know He is not transactional, His grace is pure and mercy.
Today, we can ask ourselves: When is the last time you answered God’s love with love, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation and the Eucharist? When is the last time you simply came with an honest heart and honest words before the Lord to simply let Him know you desired Him?
Today in our Mass, may we be reminded of the promise of God to each one of us to heal our defection and to love each one of us freely. May the Spirit of God – the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Good Counsel, the Spirit of Knowledge, and the Spirit of Piety open our hearts to the invitation of God to embrace mercy, forgiveness, and love. Amen.