Today's reading is from Chapter 8 of Hosea:


Thus says the LORD:
They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority;
they established princes, but without my approval.
With their silver and gold they made
idols for themselves, to their own destruction.
Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
my wrath is kindled against them;
How long will they be unable to attain
innocence in Israel?
The work of an artisan,
no god at all,
Destined for the flames?
such is the calf of Samaria!


When they sow the wind,
they shall reap the whirlwind;
The stalk of grain that forms no ear
can yield no flour;
Even if it could,
strangers would swallow it.


When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger's.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the LORD is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.

I really don't know where anybody got the idea to worship this...

A lot of times, these Old Testament readings seem really weird and distant - they're so full of burnt sacrifices, golden calves, people dying for their sins, etc. They don't seem to fit in very well with the New Testament, and they certainly don't seem to have any relevance to our lives today.

I didn't get a chance to go to Mass and hear a homily today, but to make sense of the first reading, I thought I should probably look at the first reading and the Gospel together.

Today's Gospel comes from Matthew:


A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said,
"He drives out demons by the prince of demons."


Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest."

"They just looked so pitiful. Daddy, can I keep them?"

We should also look at the Responsorial Psalm, which says of idols:


They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.



They have hands but feel not;
they have feet but walk not.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone that trusts in them.

This is the first picture when I Google "They have eyes but see not."

In the first reading, the people have angered God by creating idols and going against His will. They offer sacrifices, but they offer them without result, because they offer them to golden calves and such. God gives laws to Ephraim, but he does not treat the laws as he should the laws of God. Rather, he treats the words of God as those of a stranger.

Flash forward to Jesus healing a man possessed by a demon. He drives out the demon, but the Pharisees do not recognize Him as God or as even coming from God. They treat the Word of God as a stranger. They have taken the Law which God has given them and used it to turn themselves into idols. As the Psalm says, the Pharisees have eyes but see not - just like the Old Testament idols and their worshipers, they are blind to the true presence of God in their midst. Their followers (those who trust in them) suffer the same way, so that they have mouths but speak not, etc.

Thus, when Jesus sees the crowds, He has pity on them, for they have been following false leaders, idols. They are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

He just needs a home. PLEASE, DADDY!!!

The people of the Old Testament reading lived before the coming of Christ. They simply continued to live in sin, angering God more and more because they have no shepherd to guide them towards the Truth. The people of the Gospel reading are in the same predicament, but Jesus is in their midst, even though they don't realize it.

Apparently, Where's Waldo with Jesus is a real thing...

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He came to guide us away from all of our false idols and towards His truth, especially when our idols are ourselves.

"I did not make you beautiful so that you could stare at yourself all day!"

So, even though the Old Testament reading seems archaic and irrelevant to our lives, when it's seen in context of the rest of today's Liturgy of the Word, it actually teaches us an important lesson about listening to God and avoiding idols, especially when we are tempted to create idols out of ourselves.

The Gospel, though, teaches what is perhaps an even more important lesson: When we are stupid, and we think that we're awesome, or we create an idol out of our favorite person, Christ will always be there to lead us out of sin and stupidity, and He will always plead to His Father on our behalf, that we may obtain Heaven.

Lesson of the day: Jesus thinks you're cuter than this lamb!

And, of course, here's a prayer:

Faithful Shepherd, 
You are not a hireling who runs away at the sight of danger, 
but Your fidelity was tested 
and proven on the wood of the Cross. 
Accept the gift of our gratitude 
for Your marvelous care. 
Help us to hear and follow Your voice.


Watchful Shepherd, 
who protects the flock 
and searches tirelessly 
for those who wander from the fold, 
retrieve the lost and bring them home. 
Tend and heal their wounds. 


Good Shepherd, 
who lays down His Life for His sheep, 
nourish Your people with the Bread of Life, 
that we may reflect Your likeness 
and enjoy the spring of Living Water that never ends. 


Amen.


I'm praying for you!

:)