A wealth of spiritual insight is afforded us through today’s readings which present to us a powerful critique of idolatry and a call to mission under the protective care of the one and only, true and living God. Besides him, there are no others.
In the first reading, the prophet Hosea warns the people of Israel against their idolatrous practices, saying that they have made gods for themselves and grieved the one true God in their wicked ways. They have turned away from the only true God who has ever revealed himself to them and have created their own false deities, which will ultimately lead to their destruction.
This is a warning that resonates deeply with our own lives. How many times do we turn away from the living God and create our own idols? How many times do we prioritize our own desires and needs over the will of God? How many times do I spend massive amounts of money gambling as if there’s no God, while I forget that the poor out there can benefit from the abundance with which he has blessed me? How many times do I choose to objectify a woman who is a daughter of God and take it upon myself to violate that sacred child of God with my thoughts if not with my actions? How many times as a woman might I dress inappropriately and instead of helping my brothers to progress in holiness, I tempt them to impurity and infidelity? Is this too not becoming a god unto myself where I think I can just think or do as I please? You see, beneath every sin is a bit of pride that pushes aside God however temporarily if not altogether. And many people spend many years alienated from the one and only God because they have surrounded themselves with false gods in their lives and worse yet, have made themselves their own little gods, where the honour and power, rather than attributed to God, are sought after personally and diabolically. Many, many of God’s children have lived under the banner of Lucifer: “I will not serve!” We need to pray for each other, my brothers and sisters, for our foe is not merely another man, but the Father of Lies, the Ancient Serpent of old, Satan and his demons. When we do these abominable things, we are not unlike the people of Israel, who made gods for themselves out of silver and gold, only to find that they are no more than empty, useless tools of the evil one to distance us from the one who alone is Beauty and Goodness itself.
In today's gospel we see how Jesus, the Son of God, Light from Light, True God from True God, comes into our midst, driving out demons and bringing healing to those who are suffering. He does not come to create new idols or to serve himself, but rather to serve others and to bring glory to the Father. And when he sees the crowds of people who are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd, his heart is moved with pity for them.
Jesus' compassion for his children and his diligent awareness of the presence of evil, is a powerful reminder of what it means to be a true shepherd. He does not turn away from the people or abandon them to their own devices. Instead, he calls out to his disciples, saying, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." This is a call to mission, a call to go out into the world and bring the Good News of salvation to all people.
As we reflect on these readings today, let us ask ourselves: Are we turning away from the living God and creating our own idols? Are we prioritizing our own desires over the will of God? Or are we willing to leave behind our own interests and serve others as laborers for God's harvest?
May we be like Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve, and may we be filled with his compassion for those who are troubled and abandoned. May we be sent out into the world as laborers for God's harvest, bringing hope and healing to all people, while fighting evil with the breastplate of God as our protection. Our Lady, Queen of Angels, pray for us. Amen.
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