Vol.5 No.12 DoM Thanksgiving E Message
Spiritual Gift of the Week
This Advent season, we ask for Mary’s grace of fidelity and patience, as we await the birth of Jesus. Mary, help us to live faith-filled lives in the hope, that we will stand in righteousness before God on Judgment Day.
Spiritual Instruction of the Week
Pray to be faithful—faithfully pray.
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
We do not often speak of the Old Testament prophets. During this week of Thanksgiving however it seems appropriate to reflect upon Hosea for two reasons: First, Hosea’s name, which means “to save,” is revered in the Hebrew tradition as a “name of thanksgiving.” And secondly, Hosea’s marriage is a story of faithfulness—and faithfulness is our fruit of the Holy Spirit for the month of November.
Hosea was commanded by God to marry Gomer. He deeply loved Gomer and was heartbroken to find that she had been unfaithful. She joined in the worship of false gods through her prostitution to the fertility cult of Baal. Her infidelity was against God as well as against her husband. Gomer’s infidelity was two fold.
Hosea’s first reaction is sorrow. His misery then swelled into wrath and anger and he enacted divorce proceedings. In the end however—he realized that his love for his wife had not diminished and he persevered in an attempt to draw her back to him. He moved along the painful path from forgiveness—to faithfulness. The story ends as God commands a reconciliation between Hosea and Gomer.
Hosea shed new light on the concept of the covenant with Yahweh, explains scholar John McKenzie. Before Hosea’s marriage, the idea that Yahweh would be faithful even in the face of devastating failures of his people was incomprehensible. In the covenant, Yahweh promised to support, sustain and save the Israelites. The Israelites in return promised to accept and follow through on their obligations and duties, the most important of which was to worship no other God but Yahweh. “If they were unfaithful, God would withdraw his favor.”
Hosea’s forgiveness of and fidelity to Gomer is a dramatic sequence. He marries the harlot at God’s command. He forgives her harlotry as God’s communication. Hosea’s expressions of love and anger, grief and hope, forgiveness and fidelity, mirror God’s expressions of love and anger, grief and hope, forgiveness and fidelity. He was faithful to God and to his wife. Hosea’s fidelity was two-fold.
About Hosea the great Abraham Heschel wrote, “His prophecy is a form of living a crossing point of God. God is raging in the prophet’s words. It is Hosea who flashes a glimpse into the inner life of God as God ponders His relations to Israel. In Hosea, God’s strategy in history is declared. The decisive motive is love. The final action is fidelity.”
In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul, refers to the Israelites in light of Gomer and Hosea: “What if some were unfaithful? Will their infidelity nullify the fidelity of God? Of course not! God must be true, though every human being is a liar . . .” (Romans 3:3–4). For Paul, Hosea’s God is the God who has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. He is a God who weeps with sorrow, who suffers, who saves. Our God is a faithful God, no matter the depth or breadth of human betrayal.
We too are commanded to mirror God’s faithfulness. When we forgive and reconcile with others—we too live a “crossing point of God.” We too become faithful to others, for God. And our fidelity becomes two-fold. Let us pray to be faithful—and let us faithfully pray…
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A Thanksgiving Blessing by Joyce Rupp (Submitted by Tiny McPhillips)
May an abundance of gratitude burst forth as you reflect upon what you have received.
May thanksgiving overflow in your heart, and often be proclaimed in your prayer.
May your gather around the table of your heart the ardent faithfulness,
kindness and goodness of each person who is try to you.
May the harvest of your good actions bring forth plentiful fruit each day.
May you discover a cache of hidden wisdom among the people and events
that have brought you distress and sorrow.
May your basket of blessings surprise you with its
rich diversity of gifts and its opportunities for growth.
May all that nourishes and resources your life
bring you daily satisfaction and renewed hope.
May you slow your hurried pace of life so you can be aware of,
and enjoy what you too easily take for granted.
May you always be open, willing, and ready to share your blessings with others.
May you never for the generous One who loves you lavishly and unconditionally.
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
I thank God for your faithfulness to our faith community and I pray that you will be richly blessed throughout the Advent Season. Please pray for me and for my family.
Rendiamo grazie a Dio—Thanks be to God,
Deb
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