Word of the day

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Hosea
HOS 8:4-7, 11-13

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.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 9:32-38

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.”

Compassion allows you to see reality;  compassion is like the lens of the heart: it allows us to take in and   understand the true dimensions. In the Gospels, Jesus is often moved by compassion. And compassion is also the language of God. Our God is a God of compassion, and compassion  - we can say – is the weakness of God, but also His strength. It was indeed his compassion that led him to send his Son to us. If compassion is the language of God, so often human language is that of indifference. We must ask ourselves: “How many times do we look away...?  By doing so we close the door to compassion. Can we make an examination of conscience and ask ourselves whether we let the Holy Spirit take us along the road to compassion? Which is a virtue of God. (Santa Marta, 17 September 2019)