The 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
The readings this Sunday draw us into God’s persistent, healing mercy.
Hosea reveals a God who longs not for empty ritual but for steadfast love and a heart that returns to Him.
Psalm 50 echoes this call, reminding us that God desires trust more than sacrifice – an offering of thanksgiving and a life that leans on divine help. Paul, in Romans, points us to Abraham, whose faith rested not on his own strength but on God’s promise to bring life out of what seemed impossible.
And in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls Matthew from his tax booth and restores two daughters of Israel, showing that God’s mercy reaches into every corner of human need.
Together, these readings invite us to see faith not as performance, but as a courageous turning toward the One who heals, restores, and calls us into new life.
Readings
Collect
God of grace, you invite the despised, you touch the unclean, you lift the head of those who are brought low; give us that hope against all hope for a world transformed by your healing touch; through Jesus Christ, the mercy of God. Amen.
Photo attribution: Jesus calls Matthew away from his vocation as a tax collector. Colored lithograph by F Hanfstaengl after S Wiedenbauer after GA Pordenone.