There is something profoundly moving in today’s first reading. God speaks not as a ruler issuing commands, but as a parent remembering a child: “I taught Ephraim to walk.” Hosea reveals a God whose love remains even when rejected. God’s mercy is not sentimental weakness; it is strength that refuses to abandon. In the Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples into the world carrying nothing but trust. No extra provisions. No guarantees. Only the Gospel. The martyrs remembered today: Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, lived that same surrender. They proclaimed Christ in the face of persecution, believing that fidelity mattered more than security. As St Teresa of Calcutta once said: “God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful.” It is not about having enough resources. It is about allowing God’s love to become the resource. Faith grows strongest when we totally depend on him.

PRAYER: Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved. Amen.