Tuesday 8^th July – Tuesday of week 14 of the year

Reflection: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13

IF GOD DOES NOT BUILD

“Unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do its builders labor. Unless the Lord guards the city, in vain does the guard stay awake” (Psalm 127:1). God created man free and responsible. Though man is created free to make his own decisions, yet he is made up of both body and soul. Living in a finite world and aspiring for the infinite, he is pulled at one moment toward the pleasures of the body and at another moment to the joys of the spirit. He is in a constant state of suspension between matter and spirit, between the pull of the old Adam and that of the new Adam (Jesus). This inner war in man is a consequence of the fall; the control of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered. Thus, man though free cannot by himself save himself. He has to look for help beyond himself; he has to look to his creator to regain his control.

Dear friends, many a time we think we are in charge of our lives and we control and determine our path. We see ourselves as the absolute, affirming our own wish and pleasure and denying our dependence on God. However, the more we try to be absolute, the more we realize our emptiness; the more we sow the wind, the more we reap the whirlwind; the more we try to be ourselves without God, the lesser we become. God created us without our consent and He will not save us except with our cooperation.

Today God is calling us to surrender all to him; to recognize His supremacy in all we do and not rely on our own understanding.

PRAYER: Lord, I surrender all to you, take charge of me and use me for your glory. Amen

KNOW YOUR FAITH: CCC 398 – Man’s first sin

In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good…

HIDE A TREASURE: “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart; do not rely on your own insight. Let his presence pervade all your ways and he will protect your foot from the snare.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CCB

Readings for Today: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13, Psalm 115:3-10, Matthew 9:32-38