“Every creature in the world will raise up hearts to God if we look upon it with a good eye.”
- Felix of Cantalice
(Pray for the grace of this “good eye” today.) |
GN 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; PS 106:1B-2, 3-4A, 4B-5
MT 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to
him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous
but sinners."
Reflection on the
Scriptures |
Jesus doesn’t seem to care what official status one has in society; he does however seem to care deeply about who you are as a person. In fact he seems attracted primarily to those with little or no status in society. Jesus seems attracted to peasants, fishermen, children, women, the physically and mentally impaired – yes even outcasts and “sinners.”
Today’s Gospel prompted me to ask: To whom would Jesus be attracted to today? Whom would he call to be his closest disciples?
Do we ostracize and demean certain groups of people whom Jesus
himself might be specially drawn to?
- by Richard Hauser, S.J. Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Thirteenth Revelation, Chapter 40
“True love teacheth us that we
should hate sin only for love.”
“To me was shewed no harder hell than sin.”
“God willeth that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loveth it”
Here understand I in truth that all manner of things are made ready for us by the great goodness of God, so far forth that what time we be ourselves in peace and charity, we be verily saved. But because we may not have
this in fulness while we are here, therefore it falleth to us evermore to live in sweet prayer and lovely longing with our Lord Jesus. For He longeth ever to bring us to the fulness of joy; as it is aforesaid, where He sheweth the Spiritual Thirst. |
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