Hosea2:16-18, 21022 / Matthew 9:18-26
One of the most difficult sins for us to forgive is that of betrayal.
More
so in a relationship, when this betrayal takes the form of unfaithfulness, then it is even more difficult to forgive.
The prophet Hosea of the 1st reading suffered this experience of betrayal.
But he used this experience to show what God is like to His unfaithful people.
God is compassionate and forgiving, even when His people broke the covenant and worshiped idols.
Hosea
showed that God is forgiving and He forgives so completely that
punishment can be changed to restoration and even to a celebration of
the renewal of the marriage covenant as we heard in the 1st reading.
God
even says to the unfaithful Israel - I will betroth you to myself
forever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and
love.
God has always loved us and He loves us with an everlasting love.
Even when we have sinned, God does not turn away from us but instead turns towards us with all His love.
We cannot remain unmoved by what we heard in the 1st reading.
Not to be moved by it means that we do not understand God's love for us. Not to be moved by it may mean that we don't understand what love is at all.
Let us turn to Jesus, and ask for forgiveness for the times we have been unfaithful to Him, so that we may be healed and be faithful in our love for Him.