When they sow the wind, they shall reap whirlwind. In his last will and testament, St. Francis of Assisi sums up the events that led to his conversion process in these words:  “The Lord gave me, Bro. Francis, to begin doing penance in this way: for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them.” Francis’ encounter with the lepers was just the starting point. It is well known that Francis’ entire life was given to working with those who were less fortunate in ways that he could. He dedicated his life to showing mercy to those who were  lesser. In Latin, the word mercy is  misericordia. Literally translated,  misericordia  means a heart full of mercy (full of pity).  Misericordia can also be loosely translated as compassion. This is what Francis gave the marginalized members of his society. He did not have money to give them, or even food to give them, but he showed them pity. And he fought for them in his preaching when he castigated the rich, including the leaders of the church. I once watched a program on EWTN dubbed  Life on the Rock, and it featured a religious congregation whose charism is the feeding of the poor in Africa. When they were asked what causes poverty, one of them said: lack of compassion. It was not for lack of money or resources that poverty is prevalent in Africa. He said there was enough in the continent (and in the world) to feed everyone. The problem is that the world lacks compassion. 
In the First Reading, we hear the Lord, through the prophet Hosea, castigating the prophet’s community for failing to be faithful to God and to the covenant. Hosea himself tells them that God desires mercy, not burnt sacrifices or oblations. The people thought that they could appease God by offering sacrifices while ignoring the terms of the covenant which boils down to one thing: taking care of the orphans, widows, and strangers. Having failed to live justly and to show compassion, the prophet’s community thought that they could make up for their failures (sins) by burning sacrifices to God. God replied with an emphatic NO. The only “offering” that would be pleasing to the Lord is a change of behavior.