Failure and success

Today’s first reading (Hosea 14:2-10) has a classic, basic message: keep sinning and fail; turn back to God and life will be good.

As we know from other parts of Scripture as well as bitter experience, the wicked often succeed in this world without apparent ill effect while virtuous people often fail and endure suffering.

Yet death awaits us all, whether we are “successful” in this world or “failures”, whether we are virtuous or evil.

Yet when our life in this world ceases, so too does enjoyment of worldly success, but the guilt of our sins remains upon our immortal souls.

Likewise, when God calls his faithful ones from this world, we leave behind our sufferings in this world, but the grace of God abides in us forever.

Today’s first reading calls us to turn away from sin and from idolizing
the work of our hands and the things the world considers important
and to be faithful to God
through all the successes and failures and sufferings of this life
until God brings us home,
so that by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
we may grow in this life in ways that will blossom and flourish
for an eternity of undying happiness.

Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.

Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, be merciful to me - a sinner.