Thursday of 14th Week, Year II (Memorial of St Benedict): reflection
Theme: Never take God’s benevolence for granted
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Reading:
Hosea 11:1-4,8c-9
Dear
friends in Christ, in today’s first reading, God continued to invite the people
of Israel, through the prophet Hosea, to reciprocate His goodness to them by
ending their romance with foreign gods. He spoke to them as a loving father
would speak to an errant son, reminding them of the great deeds He accomplished
in their lives, starting from the time they were about to be exterminated in
Egypt.
Despite
Israel’s growing ungratefulness, God chose not to deal with them according to
their actions or in accordance with His justice. Rather, He promised to allow
His compassion to continue growing warm and tender for them, and to bless them more.
With this benevolent approach, God intended to win His people over with more
love and to give them another chance to walk away from their sinful ways and
start doing good.
What does
this passage tell us, dear friends? Many people wonder why God continues to
bless and favour them despite their wicked lifestyles. Today’s reading simply
tells us that the blessings, favours, graces and breakthroughs we continue to
experience in our lives even while we are living in sins is God’s approach to
win us over to himself by showing us more love rather than chastising us for
our wrongs. The reason for His benign treatment of us, even when we offend him
with our lives and deeds, as we saw in today's reading, is to offer us another
chance to cease evil and to remind us that He loves us unconditionally.
When the
people of Israel failed to seize the numerous ‘another chance’ given to them by
God, what befell them shook the history of their lives. Many of us may be on
the last stage of another chance from God. Let’s make a move before it becomes
late.
St
Benedict, Pray for us
Fr Isaac
Chima
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