The Book of Small Prophets Chapter 6

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

 HOSEA 

CHAPTER 

6

1. "Come, let us return to the LORD; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.

(Hosea Chapter 6 verse 1)

Oh Yes may we all admit the fact that our healing on all levels, be it spiritual, physical and even psychological can come only from You. I am witness of such healing. Nobody could cure me of a chronic syndrome called "Irritable Bowel Syndrome", however through receiving You in faith in communion You healed me completely and I have been healed for several years. Thanks Jesus!


2. After two days he will revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3. Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth."

(Hosea Chapter 6 verses 2 to 3)


Oh God many times before Your birth by means of such prophets You told us that after three days You would rise again in victory and that when You were saved we would also be saved with You. You have given us so much proof but some still manage to find reason to doubt.

4. What Shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.

(Hosea Chapter 6 verse 4)


I can only imagine oh God what You would comment on a person such as myself! You have who have done great works in my life, and still I am in need of controlling my sinful self, with all its emotions and needs and place my total trust in You! Oh God I also try to love You but my self at times gets the better of me and my love also fades like the morning cloud. I pray oh God that I will not let the worries of the world come in between us and compromise our relationship Amen.


5. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgement goes forth as the light. 6. For I desire love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

(Hosea Chapter 6 verses 5 to 6)


Oh God I totally understand what You mean. When we are young we offer You what we can as children, however when we grow up and become adults even in the faith, You expect more of us. It is not Your will or Your pleasure that we grow up as adults and even more of a mature adults physically and have the faith of a seven year old based on what one learnt during catechism.


7. But at Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

(Hosea Chapter 6 verse 7)


Many times oh God we have transgressed against You and we also have not always been faithful to You. However I thank You oh God for always being faithful to me. Amen.


8. Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood. 9. As robbers lie in wait for someone, so the priests are banded together they murder on the road to Shechem, they commit a monstrous crime.  10. In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's whoredom is there, Israel is defiled. 11. For you also. O Judah, a harvest is appointed. When I would restore the fortunes of my people,

(Hosea Chapter 6 verses 8 to 11)


Oh God if You looked at the world, society at large You would see many areas where sin is deep rooted. Our world is contaminated by sin and is worthy of being burned to char. We are all sinners, however although You know our individual areas of sin You are still ready to restore us back to health instead of condemning us for life imprisonment.


Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-


Oh God You know that we are all sinners and that we merit the raging fires of hell. However God You love us so, much that You laid Your life for us in a one and eternal sacrifice on the cross. You love us so much that You paid the price by the shedding of Your holy blood. On Your left and on Your right side there was a list of all our sins. And when on the cross You gave us that loving smile mixed with love and pain and proclaimed that the account has been settled. With one scream of agony You shouted "It is finished!", the price has been paid You are all redeemed. Thank You Jesus!

The book of Hosea the Prophet Chapter 5

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

 HOSEA 

CHAPTER 

5

1. Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment pertains to you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor, 2. and a pit dug deep in Shittim, but I will punish all of them.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verses 1 to 2)

Oh all Roman Catholics and Christians of all churches and you of all faiths, summon yourselves place your focus on whom you believe for it is time to take care of your spiritual welfare. If you are a catholic or Christian and proclaim that you believe in God make sure that You live according to His word. Any time in our lives can be the time of judgement. Today could be our last day on earth. We will never know the exact day, therefore we are to be prepared in a spirit of prayer and relationship with God. God is telling us to snap out of the bubble of our alienation and face the crude fact or reality that we have been investing on our material welfare for so long at the sake of our spiritual welfare. Therefore now is the time to make a U turn in our lives and take care of our spiritual relationship with You oh God.

3. I know Ephraim and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore; Israel is defiled 4. Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they do not know the LORD.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verses 3 to 4)


Oh God I thank You for holding me in Your presence. Wherever I go, whatever I do, You always see me and know my thoughts and wishes even those that are not always according to Your will. Although I do my best oh God, it is only with Your help that I can overcome this spirit of the world, the spirit of whoredom that is our sinful nature. When we are totally given to the world it is humanly impossible to make a u-turn and turn back to follow Your ways. However You are good of the impossible who are able to make the impossible possible.

5. Israel's pride testifies against him; Ephraim stumbles in his guilt; Judah also stumbles with them. 6. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verses 5 to 6)


Our sinful self oh God also testifies against us. If left to our own devices our selfishness arises and this effects our decisions that may tend to favour us and our needs over that of others. Even the considered good people can fall into this trap if we move our eyes of You my God. 


7. They have dealt faithlessly with the LORD; for they have born illegitimate children. Now the new moon shall devour them along with their fields.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 7)


During this time of advent You are referring to one of the common sins of society. Many children are being born under the title of unknown father for negative reasons. There have even been cases of babies who are abandoned at the time of birth and were it not for kind people who run non governmental organisations and people dedicated to You such as sisters such babies would either have been found dead or aborted. I pray for all those people who have ever intervened in some way in order to save a life of a child and even more for those who care for them in foster homes and institutions.


8. Blow the horn Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; look behind you, Benjamin!

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 8)


Alert Alert! Oh Roman Catholics and people of all religions, for the evil one has sworn to destroy us and claim our souls, by persuading world powers and others to wage war against each other. Many innocent people have died in France, many more in Syria, while others are dying by means of hunger, poverty and many other inhumane conditions due to the injustice written by humanity at large. The enemy is mounting a strong attack and we are to be ready! Therefore let us unite as one super power, not with nuclear arms but with the message of peace and love and by praying the rosary, so that the Mother of God who is the arch enemy of the Devil will intercede on our behalf before her Son to overcome the  spiritual forces of evil that are doing great harm to the world.


 9. Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I declare what is sure.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 9)


Oh God if we do not place our faith and trust in You and not in the world we can also end up in a state of depression and desolation. Our day of judgement may not be simply the final day when You judge the world. Our judgement day may be that hour when we are tested by You by means of a particular situation in order to see if we still love You and if not to help us get back on track in our relationship with You.


10. The princes of Judah have become like those who remove the landmark; on them I will pour out my wrath like water.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 10)


Oh God when we remove the landmarks from a map we lose our sense of direction and end up heading on routes that we did not plan for, that may eventually even lead to our destruction. When we lose track of You my God it will be our greatest loss. I pray that we never remove You from our lives You who are our most important landmark of all leading to our salvation love and care.


11. Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgement because he was determined to go after vanity.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 11)


Oh God as a sinner I also feel oppressed and crushed by my own sins. Although I know that You have already paid the price for my sins, I still feel the guilt of the sins that I have committed throughout my life. However I still thank You for having forgiven me.


12. Therefore I am like maggots to Ephraim, and like rottenness to the house of Judah.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 12)


Oh God thanks for being my father, forgive me when I am disobedient to Your will and even to the ways of the world. As in the case of Ephraim we often use You as our lucky charm in order to get what we want, and when we do not succeed we treat You as a second class father. Please forgive me when I am not faithful to You my God, for I am still flesh and sinful.


13. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 13)


Oh God my father what fools we are! When we face sickness and other grievances we go to the means of the world such as doctors, social workers, lawyers and other professionals, instead of coming to You from whom all healing and justice flows. In our heat of passion, hurt and anger we look for quick solutions that tend to complicate the problem and cause more harm instead of providing a good and healthy solution to our issues.


14. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. 

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 14)


Oh my God during this time of tribulation I need You to be a loving supportive and caring father, for I am greatly in need of You. The evil one is planting in my mind evil seeds that lead to my feeling discouraged with the stress of family life. This negative spirit is trying to convince me to put an end to my marriage that is becoming more demanding with each passing day, and that I be better off living on my own which is less stressful. I pray to You my Father that You protect me from my enemy that is harassing my thoughts and feelings day and night.


15. I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face. In their distress they will beg my favor:

(Hosea Chapter 5 verse 15)

Oh God be it not that You should ever remove Your Holy presence from among us, for we will surely perish. We who think so greatly of ourselves will surely experience the consequences of our pride and will resort to our negative devices instead of to You.

Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-

Oh God I greatly pray on the behalf of the world and all its people and this also includes myself, for I am also a great sinner. I pray that You be merciful in the judgement of the world, not that we deserve Your mercy and loving kindness but because in our pride and grandeur we are truly ignorant in the sense of not being aware that by the way we are living we are placing judgement on ourselves. Instead of calling on You as our only hope of life, we are turning against You the rock of our salvation and against that rock there are two options salvation or our judgement and condemnation, for only You are worthy of passing judgement. Therefore I greatly pray for Your Divine Mercy and invite others to join me in the recitation of this prayer of the Divine Chaplet.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

The book of Hosea the Prophet Chapter 4

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

 HOSEA 

CHAPTER 

4

1. Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel: for the LORD has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 1)

Oh God my Father if You had to comment on the world of today I think that You would have similar comments. During our times there is more than knowledge about You. Many people are joining spiritual groups and praising Your name, however others have, become totally cold towards Your name, the Roman Catholic Church and Your teachings. Legislation and social trends are being based on issues that are against Your will. Homosexuality is at its best, divorce has become the rule of the day, mixed marriages have also been accepted and the right for adoption may be in the pipeline. Oh God have mercy on us I beg You!

2. Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out; bloodshed follows bloodshed.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 2)

During our times oh God there is also many bloodshed in the world and even adultery. According to the following link some countries in the world score higher than others in the level of adultery practised:

Adultery in different countries

Astounding enough Malta has a black history of swearing ever since its native history as in the following link:-

Malta history of swearing


3. Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish together with wild animals and the birds of the air even the fish of the sea are perishing.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 3)

Oh God, the earth is mourning under the burden of our sins. We are meddling in areas that are very delicate and that we should not meddle with. We are trying to dismantle all the systems that You created and we are making a mess of nature. Nature is being abused by cases of pollution on many levels both air sea and land and we are paying for our sins, for we are reaping the fruit of our sins.

4. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest 5. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night and I will destroy your mother.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 4 to 5)


Oh God nobody can accuse or pass judgement on others for we all are sinners. By day we stumble when we are guided by the light of the sun however You guide us by both day and night and rise with us when we rise and fall with us when we fall in order to protect us from being harmed by the fall because You love us so much.

6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 6)


Oh God, the society of our times is being destroyed by an excessive supply of  knowledge, however as in the case of Your chosen people the knowledge acquired is worldly and not of God. It is totally scientific based on experiential and scientific principles which at times persuades us to place You in a corner so that we can take control of our lives, at least that is what some people think.


7. The more they increased the more they sinned against me; they changed their glory into shame.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 7)


The more we have grown in knowledge and advanced in technology the more our ignorance and pride increased so much that we started to try and depend on our selves instead of on You my Father and the glory and dignity that You gave us as humans created in Your form became shame because we disgrace the human race by means of our sinful acts.


8. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. 9. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. 10. They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply; because they have forsaken the LORD to devote themselves to 11. whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding

(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 8 to 11)


Oh God we are already experiencing such terrible times. We are becoming more avaricious, consuming items more than capacity just to satisfy our desires, however we are not at peace with our selves and even with others. We are always feeling empty because only You can fill in this emptiness and not the commodities of this world.


12. My people consult a piece of wood, and their diving rod gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have played the whore, forsaking their God.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 12)


Oh God years have passed and Your people are still referring to idols and even fortune tellers, who are still leading them astray from You. I pray that You save us from such a cursed malady which is infecting our society.


13. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and make offerings upon the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 13)


Oh God when we offer prayers to You to simply attract the attention of others this is not fruitful but a complete waste of time, for You tell us to give worship in our private quarters where we are alone with You and not in a place where we attract the attention of others in order to impress them.


14. I will not punish your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with whores, and sacrifice with temple prostitutes; thus a people without understanding comes to ruin.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 14)


Oh Jesus may I be like You. Although You had all reason and evidence on which to pass judgement on Your people and even om each one of us, You were not too hasty or swift or even impatient to pass judgement as we do among each other. I pray for the gifts of patience, mercy and endurance in spirit so that my faith in You will remain forever Amen.

15. Though you play the whore, O Israel, do not let Judah become guilty. Do not enter into Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear, "As the LORD lives."

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 15)


Oh God You love us so much that You warn us and make us aware of not indulging in more sinful acts than we may already are. Your people were already up to their neck in sins, however You still made them aware of the idolatry practised in Gilgal and Beth-aven so that they would not become more corrupted in sins.


16. Like a stubborn heifer; Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?

(Hosea Chapter 4 verse 16)


Oh God how kind are You and how stubborn we are. Even though You show us how much You love us, we still keep on pursuing our sinful ways.

17. Ephraim is joined to idols let him alone, 18. When their drinking is ended they indulge in sexual orgies; they love lewdness more than their glory. 19. A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.

(Hosea Chapter 4 verses 17 to 19)

Oh God we are overcome by alienation. Some of us are alienated by work, others by our careers, others by idolising themselves, who have become their own God, others have made Pop stars as their gods, while others indulge in acts of sexual pleasure or hobbies such as offline or on line gaming  in order to satisfy their pleasure. Alienation has become the name of the game. We are so afraid of the reality of the day that we have to leave this earth, that we are doing all we can not even to mention this reality.

Oh God I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-

Oh God I pray that You bust the bubble of our alienation so that we come face to face with the reality that one day we have to face the music of our sins and accept the fact that one day we are to leave this earth and appear before You. May we all be well prepared for this important moment in our life Amen.