Jesus continues His instructions to the Apostles as He sends them out in Matthew 10. He tells them, "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
We see some beautiful imagery in the first reading from Hosea 14. God tells the people that if they repent, “I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely.” Notice that the healing takes place after repentance.
I believe that much (if not most) or our sinfulness comes from some kind of wound. When we are wounded, we lash out, often turning our backs on and lashing out at God. God’s deepest desire is to heal those wounds. But He can’t heal them until we give them up to Him in the first place. If you’ve found yourself in a particular pattern of sin, ask God to reveal your wound, then repent of your sin and offer that wound up to Him so that He may heal you.
Father, we repent of our sins and give you all of our wounds. Touch them and heal them with your gentle and merciful love. Amen.
Yes Gus. And with fewer people turning to God, it is no wonder why we are in the mess we are in.
So many have given to anger and revenge and see no need to repent – for anything.