“My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger.” — Hosea 11:8-9

Blindfolded, hands tied behind his back, with a noose placed tightly around his neck, an Iranian man was just moments away from his impending demise. He pleaded for his life and asked forgiveness for stabbing a fellow teenager during a street fight in 2007. Seconds before his last breath, his victim’s mother walked up to him, slapped him on the face, and removed the noose from around his neck. Days before the supposed execution, the mother dreamt of her son asking her not to take revenge. Only at the last moment did she find mercy to forgive her son’s murderer. She said in an interview, “After that, I felt as if rage vanished from my heart. I felt as if the blood in my veins began to flow again.”

Israel committed spiritual adultery and repeatedly refused to heed God’s call to repentance. Though Israel deserved to be wiped off from the face of the earth, God turned from His wrath because of His intense love for Israel. He promised to restore the remaining faithful Israelites.

There is no sin so big that God can’t forgive. Turn to Him while there’s still time. Judith Concepcion (svp_jmc@yahoo.com)

Reflect: “On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls — no one have I excluded.” (Message of our Lord to St. Faustina)

“O Lord, show us Your mercy and grace... Forgive our sins...We long to live in Your presence once again.” (“All We Like Sheep” by Don Moen)

St. William of York, pray for us.

God wants to forgive us our sins, and does so by choice. He is merciful and will never be angry or vengeful towards our sinfulness. He wants to draw us back into His presence and minister to our hearts with His forgiving love. Let us draw near to God and ask Him to forgive our sins.

Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9

1 Thus says the Lord: When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; 4 I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. 8 My heart is overwhelmed; my pity is stirred. 9 I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you. I will not let the flames consume you.

P S A L M 

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R: You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

2ND READING

We will never fully know how much God loves us. We have sinned and this caused us to be separated from Him. Let us continue to approach Him and repent of our sins. May we see that He is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, and kind. He is always pleased when we seek His guidance.

Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19

8 Brothers and sisters: To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him. 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________