Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Hosea 11:1-4.8e-9;
Matthew 10:7-15)
Of all the
prophets Hosea touches most the hearts of readers. He tells the story of how God directs him to
marry a prostitute as a sign of Israel’s fidelity. In today’s reading Hosea tenderly describes
God’s love for His people. He pictures God
as a father teaching his children to walk and as a mother rubbing cheeks with
her child. At the end of the passage the
prophet retains pity for His people, not wrath as they deserve.
God’s pity
is not fruitless. He sends His Son,
Jesus Christ, to finally turn their hearts to Him. In the gospel Jesus sends his apostles to do
what he has been doing. They are to
proclaim the kingdom of God with words and deeds. They are to speak of God’s love and to show
that love with acts of power.
We inherit
the tasks of the apostles as well as their glory. We should not be afraid to tell others that
God’s kingdom has come in Jesus. Equally
important, we must demonstrate God’s love with works of mercy.
