In our first reading today we begin a series of readings from the Prophet Hosea. They are beautiful readings concerning God the Father's tender and passionate love for his chosen people! These people, the children of Israel, have in so many ways been unfaithful and ungrateful to him for the many wonderful things he has done for them – and he was forced to punish them out of justice, and that made him sad – but now he wants to enter into a deeper and fuller relationship with them – and so the imagery that is used now is that of the beautiful, intimate relationship between husband and wife: God wants to "espouse" these people, so that they will call him "husband."
They will be "espoused in right and in justice; in love and in mercy." They will be "espoused in fidelity" and THEY WILL KNOW GOD! – as a husband knows a wife!
How powerful and passionate and wonderful an image! God wants to be very close and at one with his people! And so, he "leads them to the desert" – where there is peace and quiet - in order to speak to their hearts. There he hopes that they will respond to him as in "the days of their youth, when they came up out of the land of Egypt." And they shall turn away from the Baals – the pagan idols, to which many have turned!
God is so great; he is so merciful; he is so eager to reside in the intimate recesses of our hearts and our lives; all we need to do is to make room – and then invite him there.
In the gospel passage we see the "healing power of love" that emanates from Jesus. To reward our fidelity, to reward our faithfulness, to reward our focus on him and his Father (rather than on lesser Baals of our own day) – Jesus literally touches people and there is restored life, restored health, restored priorities in life. In the first instance, with the daughter who was presumed dead, Jesus comes and simply takes her by the hand and she arises; in the second instance a woman with physical symptoms simply wanted to touch his cloak! In both cases it was FAITH – real, genuine belief that HEALING POWER AND LOVE DO IN FACT COME FROM AND THROUGH THIS AMAZING MAN! JESUS - who must be more that just "a man" – that made the healing possible. Yes, he is more than just a man – he is also God!
We each have the power to "touch God" – to release his healing and love and mercy in our own lives and the lives of others – beginning with the "simple belief that it is so!" We too are his "beloved," his "espoused:" he would do anything to give us fullness and happiness of life! Thank you dear God for loving us so! May we show our gratitude this day by touching the lives of others with kindness, helpfulness and joy!
The Lord is gracious and merciful!
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