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One of the most beautiful images of the relationship between God and Israel is God as lover of a beloved people. The prophet Hosea writing in 8th century recognised that the people of Israel, living in exile, had turned away from God to worship false gods. In today's reading, Hosea assures the people that like a lover God will woo his people back to him. He will lead them back into the wilderness because it was there that the covenant between God and the Israelites had first been made. Using the imagery of marriage God speaks of his tenderness and love for his people and in their renewed relationship they will come to know him intimately.

The imagery of God as the husband of Israel has often been extended to refer to Jesus' relationship with the Church. In today's gospel Jesus identifies himself as a bridegroom. The use of the word "bridegroom" is messianic because the reason for the disciples not fasting is the unique character of the time of his earthly ministry, an in-breaking of the reign of God. Evidently the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist fasted on certain days and Jesus' break with this tradition only applied to the time when he was on earth. His concern to preserve cloth, patches, wine and skins, shows that he did not want to do away with the old ways but to find rituals appropriate to the time.

Have we got a sense of the present times? What is required of us today? Perhaps these days of uncertainty are asking us to turn again to God who loves us, to trust in him and to make the reign of God more visible in the world. Let us begin today.