God's Love Story

This is an excerpt of an article from sambuhay the Year 19 No. 45 issue on February 26, 2006. It was the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The article was written by Fr. James H. Kroeger, M.M.

On those rough moments when I felt so down because a loved one left me, so confused and bewildered as to why such things happened, so rejected despite all the love and care that I offered, I suddenly stumbled upon this article, which I hung on until now, which surprisingly, saved me from eternal mourning of the loss. It helped me survive such a bitter ordeal in life and eventually showed me the way. God's Words have been spoken.

***It began...
...The Bible is an exceedingly rich book containing a wide panorama of literary pieces through which God's inspired Word is communicated. Look closely and you will find history, prophecy, prayers, poetry, and yes, even love stories! In fact, the entire Bible is a record of God's great love story with humanity.

Today's First Reading is from the prophet Hosea, one of the twelve so-called minor prophets of the Old Testament. They are "minor" simply because their messages are comparatively short. Hosea is also called the "Prophet of Tenderness" because he expresses God's abiding love for his people using the symbolism of marriage, the relationship between a husband and his wife.

Who is this man Hosea? What happens in his life that leads him to see that God/Yahweh deeply loves his people? Why does Hosea choose to describe God's closeness, intimacy, and tenderness for the Chosen People using the marital relationship?

Hosea's writings may have been rooted in his own unfortunate marriage to Gomer, a personal tragedy that profoundly shapes his message. He experiences deep pain in his married life - a story of broken love and infidelity.

Gomer betrays Hosea's love. She bears him three children, but she is unfaithful. Hosea divorces her but finds that his love is too great to permit a final separation. And so he strives to win her back, to allure and court her again. Hosea cannot shun his wife forever even when she plays the harlot!

Imagine the pain that this sensitive and emotional man feels. He loves Gomer despite what she has done. From his experience, Hosea has prophetic insight into God's love for the People of Israel: God loves his people as a husband loves his spouse.

What happens next? Hosea describes how God begins the courtship all over again: he will "speak to her heart"; he "will lead her into the desert," a symbol of their "first love" (2:16-17). Hosea [God] will forgive the infidelity of Gomer [Israel] - if only she will humbly return to him.

Hosea transfers to Yahweh his own emotional conflict. He presents Yahweh as moved by two conflicting emotions: the sentiment of justice, which moves him to punish Israel by irreparable destruction, and his love of Israel as passionate as the love of a man for a woman.

Yahweh's tenderness and forgiveness emerge. He admits: "My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred" (11:8) He declares: "I will espouse you to me forever...in love and mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity and you shall know the Lord" (2:21-22).

Are you moved by this love story? I hope so! Such is God's tender love for us sinners (see Rom 5:8). Yes, he may chastise us for our wrongdoing, but it is the chastisement of the jealous lover who longs to bring back the beloved to the fresh and pure joy of their first love.

Such is our God, truly a God of love! Such is Christ and his love for the Church! God is always ready to forgive while a man may seek revenge or repayment. In the words of the song "Hosea," God says: "Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life." Yes, "the Lord is kind and merciful" (Ps 103)...***

There are still a couple of paragraphs after that which talks about the coming of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

At some points, we may have been Gomer who wronged others badly and needed chastisement and forgiveness. We might find it difficult and may not be able to expect others to forgive us nor forgive our own very selves. But sometimes, we could be Hosea, full of love and compassion and understanding, but was betrayed and rejected. Would we find it even more difficult to follow what Hosea did? Or shall we succumb to our humanly nature for self-preservation and listen to our pride's nagging not to reconsider? What if we became Gomer and Hosea decided not to forgive?

Fortunately, that did not happen. God's love ruled on everything and we should pay Him forward.