Is Jesus’ message good news for me? Only then will I be able to transmit it as good news to others.

“Lord, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me.

Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Hosea 11:1-4, 8c-9

 I loved Israel

When he was a child; out of Egypt I called my son.   But the more I have called, the further have they gone from me – sacrificing to the Baals, burning incense to the idols.

 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; yet little did they realize that it was I who cared for them.   I led them with cords of human kindness, with leading strings of love, and I became for them as one who eases the yoke upon their neck and stoops down to feed them.

 How can I give you up, Ephraim? Can I abandon you like Admah or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is troubled within me and I am moved with compassion.   I will not give vent to my great anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not human. I am the Holy One in your midst and I do not want to come to you in anger.

 

Ps 80:2ac & 3b, 15-16

Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

Matthew 10:7-15

 Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so give it as a gift.  Do not carry any gold, silver or copper in your purses.   Do not carry a traveler’s bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or walking-stick: workers deserve their living.

 When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person and stay there until you leave.

As you enter the house, wish it peace.   If the people in the house deserve it, your peace will be on them; if they do not deserve it, your blessing will come back to you.

 And if you are not welcomed and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town and shake the dust off your feet.  I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than it will for the people of that town.

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Parenting Failures

God’s heartbreaking cry through Hosea is no different from the cries of many good-hearted parents. They are heartbroken as to why their children, raised with good intentions and good example, have gone away from faith and morals.

Their sense of guilt often gets doubled when they hear some preachers scream that its all because of the faults in parenting, as sins of the parents fall on seven generations. Today’s passage must console them-even God, as a parent, who took Israel by the arms and nurtured her, was left heartbroken when she went off the track.

 

Was it the failure of the father’s parenting that the prodigal son left home in haste and the elder son stayed home but with no love in his heart? It is not always fault in parenting. These are mysteries of human lives. Some have to go away lives. Some have to go away briefly before they can find their way back, repentant. Our task is to keep our hearts and love open, as God does.