20260710 PERSEVERING IN HOPE AND LOVE
10 July 2026, Friday, 14th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Hosea 14:2-10 |
A call to conversion and promise of safety
The Lord says this:
Israel, come back to the Lord your God;
your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.
Provide yourself with words
and come back to the Lord.
Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away
so that we may have happiness again
and offer you our words of praise.
Assyria cannot save us,
we will not ride horses any more,
or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have made,
for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’
– I will heal their disloyalty,
I will love them with all my heart,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will fall like dew on Israel.
He shall bloom like the lily,
and thrust out roots like the poplar,
his shoots will spread far;
he will have the beauty of the olive
and the fragrance of Lebanon.
They will come back to live in my shade;
they will grow corn that flourishes,
they will cultivate vines
as renowned as the wine of Helbon.
What has Ephraim to do with idols any more
when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him?
I am like a cypress ever green,
all your fruitfulness comes from me.
Let the wise man understand these words.
Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning.
For the ways of the Lord are straight,
and virtuous men walk in them,
but sinners stumble.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-4,8-9,12-14,17 |
My mouth shall declare your praise.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My mouth shall declare your praise.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
My mouth shall declare your praise.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
My mouth shall declare your praise.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
My mouth shall declare your praise.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 10:16-23 |
The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’
PERSEVERING IN HOPE AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HOS 14:2-10, MT 10:16-23]
After exposing the sins of Israel and their infidelity, Hosea issued an invitation for the people to turn back to God: “The Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.” Indeed, most of our problems in life are due to our foolish thoughts and actions. They are the consequences of our sins, our abandonment of God, and our infidelity to His commandments. When we look at our lives, we know very well that our failures have been due to our pride, laziness, irresponsibility, greed, ambition, and selfishness. As Hosea rightly pointed out, our iniquity indeed is the cause of our downfall.
But God is all-merciful. He does not keep a record of wrongs. He is truly like a Father who is ever ready to forgive us the moment we turn back to Him. When God allows us to suffer the consequences of our sins, it is never meant to punish us, contrary to what some people think. God is not so petty as to take revenge on us for abandoning Him. God is all-sufficient and does not need our love. But because He loves us, He wants our happiness. The Lord said, “I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from them.” All we need to do is ask the Lord, “Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise.”
However, we need to be conscious of what our mistakes are if we want the Lord to set us free. What, then, were the sins of Israel? Firstly, they made alliances with Assyria, thinking that she would save them from their enemies. Israel had been playing a double game, forging an alliance with Assyria at one moment and relying on the horses and chariots of Egypt the next. Israel had never taken the Lord or the warnings of the prophets seriously. They thought military might would save the country. But they failed to realise that by inviting foreign powers, they would eventually invite trouble and interference — not just politically and militarily, but also through the infiltration of pagan practices and customs. That was what eventually happened to them when the Assyrian army sacked the city, and all the inhabitants were exiled and taken to Assyria. In their place, the Assyrians brought their own people to live in the land to ensure the Israelites would not have the capacity to stage a rebellion. For us, too, we might rely on the wrong people in our lives, take the wrong advice, or even use unscrupulous means hoping to achieve wealth and success quickly.
Secondly, Israel had fallen into the worship of false gods. As the prophet urged his people to say to the Lord, “‘Our God!’ to what our own hands have made.” They had imported Canaanite religions, such as the worship of Baal and Astarte, the god and goddess of fertility, to protect their crops instead of relying on Yahweh. Although explicitly forbidden by Moses to make images of gods, they continued to do so. So too for us: our false gods, the work of human hands, can be our jobs, science and technology, or our enterprises. We think that through our hard work and ambition, we will be able to achieve success, independence, and power. The point is whether we believe our destiny depends on us alone, rather than on the One who made these hands of ours.
Against such options, God presents us with an alternative model for finding prosperity and happiness. We need to return to Him and make Him the centre of our lives. We must plant our roots in Him. “I will fall like dew on Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar; his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon.” When we put ourselves under the protection of God, He will help us to bloom and grow in life. In His shade, we will find true security and protection. We will find the right environment where there is love, peace, and unity for us to thrive in all that we do.
Indeed, the Lord asked Israel, “What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him? I am like a cypress evergreen, all your fruitfulness comes from me.” This is the same appeal our Lord makes when He says to His apostles, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (Jn 15:4-6) As St. Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)
Alas, not all understand the truth and wisdom of returning to the Lord or depending on Him. As the Lord said, “Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble.” We might be intelligent in the ways of the world and in science and technology, but we often lack the wisdom to recognise our finiteness. Because we are blinded by our worldly pursuits, instead of walking the straight path in truth and charity — in accordance with the laws revealed to us by God through Moses and found in the Scriptures — we choose our own path and try to rationalise and justify what we do. St. Paul diagnosed the cause of our misery in the foolishness of humanity: “For though they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human.” (Rom 1:21-23)
Consequently, we should not be surprised that when we seek to proclaim the Gospel, we will be misunderstood and persecuted, not much differently from the prophets in the Old Testament. The truth spoken often falls on deaf ears. Sometimes, it leads to retaliation because what we say exposes the deceptive arguments and snares of the world. This is especially true when it comes to politics, when we speak out for justice and integrity, because some political leaders are only concerned with power, wealth, and fame, rather than serving the people. This was the case for Christians during the time of Jesus and the early Church. Hence, Jesus warned us, “Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. Beware of men: they will hand you over to Sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans.”
But such persecution and rejection will not end there; it will also affect our family life. We know that religion is often a cause of disunity in families, such as when a non-Catholic spouse or relative seeks to curtail the religious fervour or activities of their Catholic partner. At times, it leads to disagreement over how the children should be raised and the faith they should be taught. Most of all, quarrels often happen because of the different values held by believers versus non-believers: “Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.” Many Catholics who marry non-Catholics do not realise the complexities and challenges of strengthening the bond of marriage and family life. Love alone is not sufficient to sustain a marriage; we need a common faith to hold onto during our struggles.
Indeed, with faith, we can overcome all things, as the Lord assures us: “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.” The Holy Spirit will guide us. He will inspire us and lead us to make the right decisions and say the right words to inspire others. Hence, let us stand firm to the end, as the Lord urges us. Let us never give up, even when the going is tough. At most, the Lord says, “If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another.” Run away and fight again another day! Like God, we must be patient for His grace to touch hearts and minds.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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