Hosea 5:15 - 6:6 / Luke 18:9-14
Have we ever asked ourselves if we had taken the Lord for granted? And the next question that we might ask is how have we taken the Lord for granted?
Oh yes, we might have forgotten to say grace before meals and we do not thank the Lord enough for the good things we have and the blessings He bestowed upon us.
Yet, we might have subconsciously taken the Lord for granted by being too presumptuous about His mercy and forgiveness.
We can become too presumptuous about God's mercy and forgiveness so much so that we can take it for granted and not feel real contrition and sorrow for our sins.
Such was the attitude of the people in the 1st reading . They say: Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wound; on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.
While what they said is true, they have not looked into themselves and asked if they have been taking the Lord's mercy and forgiveness too lightly.
In fact, the response from the Lord is this: What am I to do with you? This love of yours is like a morning cloud, like the dew that quickly disappears.
It sounds like as if the Lord was getting tired of their presumptuous attitude and taking Him for granted.
The parable that Jesus told in the gospel also addressed this attitude of being presumptuous.
The Pharisee thought that by telling the Lord the good he has done, his prayer will be heard. But Jesus said that it was the prayer of the tax collector that was heard and he went home at rights with God.
So let us humble ourselves in prayer and acknowledge our sins. Let us not take the Lord for granted and we will be at rights with God, others and ourselves.