His Divine Patience Quenches His Blazing Anger

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1  Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9

Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him, 
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.


My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
 

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16

R. (4b) Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong. 
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.

Alleluia  Mark 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel  Matthew 10:7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words--
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

His Divine Patience Quenches His Blazing Anger

July 9, 2026 // Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9

Reflect on the Word // 

I left the confessional and dropped to my knees in my choir stall. Gazing at the monstrance, my heart was pouring out gratitude for the beautiful mercy flowing from the Sacrament I had just received. Then the question surfaced in my heart: Lord, how can You be so patient with me? Time after time I have gone to Him with the same sins, the same weaknesses, the same failures, and again and again His grace has flooded my soul. His forgiveness brings peace as the words of absolution wash over me.

Sure, I’m not sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols as we read in today’s First Reading. Or am I? How often has the Lord called to me, and I have responded by running farther from Him? There are so many areas of my heart where I run from Him and reject my identity as His daughter, though He “[draws me] with human cords, with bands of love”(Hosea 11:4).

I  have known His love—I know His love even now—and I have heard His call, not out of Egypt, but out of the world, to belong to Him. And yet, like Israel I sometimes still rebel. He has fed me, He has healed me, and still my heart desires to direct itself and fails to surrender.

But His love is patient, it is unending, “[His] heart is overwhelmed, [His] pity is stirred” (Hosea 11:8). It is His heart that is so patient, His Divine Love that draws us, fosters us, and raises us to His cheeks again and again (see Hosea 11:3).

Daughter, no matter how far we wander, no matter how often we fall or turn our hearts from Him, He welcomes us back. He is a patient Father, a Divine Lover, for “[He] is God and not man . . . [He] will not let the flames consume you” (Hosea 11:8). 

Relate to the Lord // Make a plan to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week. Receive His patient love. 

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Sister Maria Fatima - Blessed Is She
About Sister Maria Fatima
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Sister Maria Fatima grew up in Rhode Island and entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in 2005. She holds a MA in Theology from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Sister is in her eleventh year of enlightening middle school minds and drawing hearts to Jesus while teaching religion and history. She currently resides at the motherhouse in Ann Arbor, MI, having previously taught in Texas, Florida, and Ohio. She is a contributing author to our Lent devotional All She Had.