Good morning, good people! May the Lord give you peace, health, and happiness in the Holy Spirit. Today is March 29, 2025. We reflect on Hosea 5:15-6:6 and Luke 18:9-14.
The readings address our duplicity and pretensions in our faith commitments. God is not interested in a mere display of piety but in authentic love. Our love for the Lord must be profound, pure, progressive, and productive. Who do we serve with expectation?
Pope Francis teaches us, “The world tells us to seek success, power, and money; God tells us to seek humility, service, and love.”
In the first reading, God rejects Israel’s superficial love: “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bind up our wounds.” (Hosea 6:1-2). The responsorial Psalm echoes this theme: “What I desire is mercy, rather than sacrifice.” (Ps. 51:1-2).
One day, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) was caring for a sick man covered in sores. A visitor watched her tenderly cleaning his wounds and remarked, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” She looked up and replied, “Neither would I. But I do it for Christ.”
The Gospel presents two contrasting attitudes toward God. Sometimes, we are like the man who boasts about his good deeds, and at other times, we humbly acknowledge our faults, failures, and sins before the Lord. But there is no need to prove to God how good we are. He does not require a litany of our good works.
Without humility and surrender, it is difficult to experience God in our lives. Our prayer life should focus more on submission and supplication. Prayer without humility is a waste of time. Justification comes from a relationship with God that is based on wholehearted love: “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14).
We are all called to humility in recognizing how far we have distanced ourselves from God and from others. What God desires from us is mercy and merciful deeds: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).
May the Lord bless us today with prayer in humility, confession with contrition, and actions with honesty. May God bless you. Have a good day!