When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin,
his altars became occasions of sin.
Though I write for him my many ordinances,
they are considered as a stranger’s.
Though they offer sacrifice,
immolate flesh and eat it,
the LORD is not pleased with them.
He shall still remember their guilt
and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.
Hosea describes the pathetic condition of the northern kingdom, Israel, which had separated itself from Jerusalem and established its own capital city with its own temple, priesthood, and sacrifices. Built around banned images of God, their temple housed no the Ark of the Covenant. Despite their circumcision, frenzied worship and sincere devotions, they had lost touch with God. Their sincerity meant nothing; they would be lost to history when Assyria overran the region centuries later.
The prophets Amos and Hosea came from Judah to warn them of their hopeless condition, but were greeted with hostility. Israel would not submit to David's heirs. Although David's heirs were, for the most part, poor representatives of their noble ancestor -- whose story is not entirely edifying -- God's favor rested upon him and his heirs and Jerusalem, their holy city. Although that metropolis also reflected poorly on God's mercy and justice. Can any city appear holy to the critical eyes of the skeptical?
Every Roman Catholic faces the same challenge. Shall I continue practicing the faith from within this obviously sinful church? Might God call me to another sect of Christianity? Or perhaps to start another, reformed church, as Archbishop Lefebvre did? It's certainly been tried! And some of sects demonstrate admirable virtue! They all seem sincere.
We ask ourselves what should we say to those who grew up in other traditions and are intensely loyal to those traditions, and their followers and families. Are they, like the northern kingdom of Israel, doomed to extinction? Are they not among the elect whom Saint Paul cites in his letter to the Romans?
