Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Oddly, perhaps to remind us of the challenges of interpreting the Bible, the NABRE translation of Hosea's original words reads:
"For it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
The Bible Hub website gives us several more variations for mercy and loyalty, including faithful love, goodness, and kindness.
In his conflict with the Pharisees, Jesus clearly prefers gentle compassion for people over sacrificial obedience to the Law.
In the friary or rectory, should I answer the door or finish my prayer? He seems to prefer the door.
(What if it's the telephone? They can leave a message.)
As I pray with patients in the VA hospital, I often remind them that we're placed on this earth to care for one another. That's our primary task. We would not be here at all, given all the vulnerabilities of the human animal, if we didn't care for one another. Rabbits can breed like rabbits to deal with the challenge of extinction, and turtles can live for over a century, but human's must have and provide medical care, or disappear altogether.
Even if Jesus had not commanded us to love one another, common sense would tell us we must.
As some wealthy people continue to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, which they dog whistle Obamacare, without offering an alternative way to care for the vast number of disenfranchised poor folks in this country, I hear scriptures, tradition, and the Holy Spirit commanding us to show mercy. We would need fewer aircraft carriers and weapons of mass destruction if we trusted in God and kept his Word.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.