3rd Week of Lent
Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God. (Hosea 14:2)
Few things are more painful than the betrayal of an unfaithful spouse. That’s why the Book of Hosea is especially moving for us: it portrays God’s relationship with Israel through Hosea’s heartbreaking marriage. Through Hosea’s stubborn love for his adulterous wife, God reveals his unchanging covenant love for unfaithful Israel. “Return to the Lord,” he pleads over and over again (Hosea 14:3).
Today, just as in Hosea’s time, God continues to plead with his people to come back to him. Since Lent is all about God’s call to come home, let’s listen for his voice in the words of Hosea.
You have collapsed through your guilt (Hosea 14:2). We all know how oppressive the burden of guilt can be. Even if we gloss over our offenses, unrepented sin can weigh us down like a heavy chain tangled around us. Sometimes we even carry guilt over sins we have already confessed. Still, our faithful God calls to us, Let me lift this weight that exhausts you and drags you down.
Take with you words (Hosea 14:3). God knows that the act of confessing our sins is the first step toward freedom. Naming them aloud is the best way to bring them into the light, where the Lord can free us. Isn’t this what happens in Confession? Our words of repentance have the power to unlock the chains that have dragged us down. It’s not always easy, though, to find the right words. But that doesn’t matter to the Lord. We can begin by saying, “Father, I have sinned” (Luke 15:21). Confess your sins, God implores. I am ready to forgive.
I will heal their defection (Hosea 14:5). This promise can give us the courage we need to return to God. Not only will he forgive us, but he will heal us of the urges and drives that cause us to sin. Every time we turn to him in Confession and encounter his love, our hearts melt a little bit more, and we find it a little bit easier to act out of love instead of selfishness. He cries out, Come and be healed!
Whether it has been a short while or many years since your last Confession, go. Go this weekend. Return to the Lord your God.
“Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Psalm 81:6-11, 14, 17
Mark 12:28-34
