Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 381
Lectionary: 381
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.
Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.
Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.
Responsorial Psalm PS 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
R. (Matthew 4:4) One does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Gospel 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.”
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.”
Meditation: Jesus calls sinners to come follow him
Do you know what God's call is on your life? Jesus called
Matthew to be his follower and friend, not because Matthew was religious or
learned, popular or saintly. Matthew appeared to be none of these. He had
chosen to live a life of comfort and wealth. His profession was probably the
most corrupted and despised by everyone in society, because tax collectors made
themselves wealthy by over-charging and threatening people if they did not hand
over their money to them. What did Jesus see in Matthew that others did not
see?
God searches for yearning hearts
One lesson we can learn from the Old Testament is that God searches for hearts that yearn for him. When God sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to pick one of his sons to be the future heir to the throne of Israel, Jese put before the prophet the oldest and strongest of his sons. Samuel bypassed all the first seven sons and then chose David, the youngest and least of Jesse's sons! "God looks at the heart and not at the appearance of a man," Samuel declared. David's heart was like a compass looking for true north - it pointed to God.
One lesson we can learn from the Old Testament is that God searches for hearts that yearn for him. When God sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to pick one of his sons to be the future heir to the throne of Israel, Jese put before the prophet the oldest and strongest of his sons. Samuel bypassed all the first seven sons and then chose David, the youngest and least of Jesse's sons! "God looks at the heart and not at the appearance of a man," Samuel declared. David's heart was like a compass looking for true north - it pointed to God.
When Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax office - very likely
counting his day's profit - Jesus spoke only two words - "follow me".
Those two words changed Matthew from being a self-serving profiteer to a
God-serving apostle who would bring the treasures of God's kingdom to the poor
and needy.Why did Jesus pick Matthew to be a disciple and one of the chosen
twelve apostles? Jesus chose Matthew not for what he was, but for what he would
become under Jesus direction and training. Matthew's heart must have yearned
for God, even though he dare not show his face in a synagogue - the Jewish
house of prayer and study of Torah - God's law. That is why he unhesitatingly
accepted Jesus' invitation and left all to follow him.
God looks for hearts ready to say "yes" to his call
John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes why Jesus decided to call Matthew sometime after he had chosen other disciples first to be his apostles:
John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes why Jesus decided to call Matthew sometime after he had chosen other disciples first to be his apostles:
"Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he
called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time
when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to
call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call.
Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the
resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. for he who is
acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when
each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all
together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition.
Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he
call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."
Jesus is the true physician of minds, souls, and bodies
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to visit healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life.
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to visit healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life.
The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of
religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care.
Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with
people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I
came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically
the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the
prophet Hosea: For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea
6:6). Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to you? And
do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?
"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts
are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful;
cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with
your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence.
Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for
yourself." (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)
 Where Mercy Reigns 2014-07-04 |
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Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus passed on from there, 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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you in this meditation ready
to do whatever it is you ask. Left to myself I often take the easy and
convenient path, yet I know the way of a Christian is through the narrow
gate. In you I find the reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect
mission of love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.”
Petition: Lord, grant me the grace of a humble and contrite heart.
1. "Why Does Your Teacher Eat with Tax Collectors and
Sinners?" The Pharisees want to keep their status secure. In their
eyes, religion is not a quest for truth, but a way to tranquilize their
conscience under the guise of a law which makes few demands on them. They are
unwilling to break away from the “baby food” that is the old law and chew on
the “steak” of real holiness. It is easy to return back to “baby food” and to
remember the times when God was asking less, in order to keep a false sense
of peace. Such a manner is never enough, though, for an honest man of God,
who learns every day to face the brutal facts of who he really is before God
– that God expects much from him, and that the Lord’s grace will empower him
to deliver. I must seek out the areas of routine where I have justified
myself in giving less than what Christ is really asking.
2. “I Did Not Come to Call the Righteous but Sinners." How
does God pick which souls to approach with his consoling presence? “Through
the abundance of your mercy, O God our Savior, you appeared to sinners and
tax collectors. Where else was your light to shine if not upon those who were
sitting in darkness? Glory be to you!” (Irenaeus, Anthologion, 1:1390).
Christ is attracted to those to whom his grace will mean something, those in
whom there is fertile ground for a response to his invitation to holiness. No
abundance of religious achievement or spiritual knowledge will catch his
attention, but put in front of him a contrite soul ready to abandon himself
to his grace, and there he is.
3. “Those Who Are Well Do Not Need a Physician, But the
Sick Do.”
A posture of humility helps us to never take God’s mercy for
granted. One day Brother Elias found St. Francis crying over how terrible a
sinner he was. Surprised, Br. Elias asked how he could think such a thing.
Francis therein recalled all the graces he had received, and reflected that
if any other man had received them they would have been a far greater man
than he (Crowley, A Day With the Lord, p.146). Such are the saints –
never satisfied with themselves, always in need of God and his mercy. All
that Christ needs to make me a saint is that I have a heart ready to change
and be ready to base myself on his grace and less on my formulas for
success.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I ask you to receive me in all
my weakness, so that I may more confidently base my future growth on your
grace and mercy. Let me enter heaven, as St. Theresa of the Child Jesus
wished, “with my hands empty.” All glory and victory is yours alone. Thank
you for choosing me, out of love for me.
Resolution: I will set a time and place for confession this week, that I
may honor God’s mercy and show with my fervor what it means for me to be his
chosen one.
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FRIDAY, JULY 4. MATTHEW 9:9-13
(Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, Psalm 119)
(Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do" (v 12).
READING: Matthew (named "Levi" in Mark and Luke's gospels) was a publican, a collector of taxes. Matthew was thought to be a sinner because he cooperated with the occupying Roman forces in the collection of taxes for the empire. What's more, tax collectors were often accused of extorting money from their own people and lining their pockets with the revenue. When Jesus invited Matthew to follow him as a disciple he didn't ask Matthew to change his way of living. He simply said: "Follow me" (v 9). Moreover, Jesus accepted an invitation to dine in Matthew's home along with many well-known sinners. The Pharisees, who were strict observers of the Law of Moses, were outraged and asked Jesus to explain his apparent disregard for their religious practices. Jesus condemned those who pretended to act virtuously and showed no compassion for those in need of mercy (Hos 6:6). Jesus' purpose in coming was to call sinners to repentance. The 'sick' knew they had need of a doctor; those who thought they were blameless did not recognize their need for God's mercy.
REFLECTING: Are my words and actions consistent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, on this Independence Day, help me to live in the freedom of your truth.
ULY 4, INDEPENDENCE
DAY (U.S.A.)
Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th as America's official split from Britain's rule and the beginning of the American Revolution. A committee headed by Thomas Jefferson was appointed to prepare an appropriate writing for the occasion. The document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress on July 4th although the resolution by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved earlier.
Francis Bellamy (1855 - 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge of Allegiance in August 1892. In 1954, after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, Congress added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge is now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer. I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Give Yourself
If you want someone to love you, you must be the first to love;
and if you have nothing to give, give yourself. -Blessed Rosalie Rendu
No one lives on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from the mouth of God
‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’Jesus speaks to the Pharisees, endeavouring to teach them the emptiness of their rituals. They have created a temple concerned with trappings of wealth and prestige, with no place for comfort for the poor, no recognition for the marginalised. Jesus is at ease among the sinners and tax collectors, as they are open and welcoming to his words. Matthew moved without hesitation to be beside Jesus. We are blessed with a pope who lives out these words of Jesus. He has moved in a gentle but determined way to show all people that they are created by a loving God and deserve to live in dignity. Pope Francis lives out his beliefs, and already so much hope has been given to the alienated. Our prayer could be that harsh judgements are replaced by a consoling welcome, so that each person moves onto a new life-song.
July
4
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
(1271-1336)
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
(1271-1336)
Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an
olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father, Pedro III, future king of
Aragon, was reconciled with his father, James, the reigning monarch. This
proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences
surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a
taste for spirituality. Thus fortunately prepared, she was able to meet the
challenge when, at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of
Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to
growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including
daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to
befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those
whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her
husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.
He, too,
was the object of many of her peace endeavors. She long sought peace for him
with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She
repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son,
Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate
children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of
Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra,
where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor
Clares after the death of her husband, she set out and was able to bring about
a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his
son-in-law, the king of Castile.
Stories:
Elizabeth was not well enough to undertake her final peacemaking journey,
made all the more difficult by the oppressive heat of the season. She would
not, however, permit herself to be dissuaded from it. She answered that there
was no better way to give of her life and her health than by averting the
miseries and destruction of war. By the time she had successfully brought about
peace, she was so sick that death was imminent. After her death in 1336, her
body was returned to the monastery at Coimbra for burial.
Comment:
The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, almost a total lack of concern for herself and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success.
The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, almost a total lack of concern for herself and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success.
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 9,9-13
Lectio:
Friday, July 4, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you call your children
to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
you call your children
to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 9,9-13
As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew
sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and
followed him.
Now while he was at table in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?'
When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.'
Now while he was at table in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?'
When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.'
3) Reflection
• The Sermon on the Mountain takes chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the
Gospel of Matthew. The purpose of the narrative part of chapters 8
and 9 is to show how Jesus put into practice what he had just taught. In
the Sermon on the Mountain, he teaches acceptance (Mt 5, 23-25.
38-42.43). Now he puts it into practice accepting the lepers (Mt 8, 1-4),
the foreigners (Mt 8, 5-13), the women (Mt 8, 14-15), the sick (Mt 8, 16-17),
the possessed (Mt 8, 28-34), the paralytics (Mt 9, 1-8), the tax collectors (Mt
9, 913), the unclean persons (Mt 9, 20-22), etc. Jesus breaks the norms
and the customs which excluded and divided persons, that is with the fear and
the lack of faith (Mt 8, 23-27) the laws on purity (9, 14-17), and he clearly
says which are the requirements for those who want to follow him. They should
have the courage to abandon many things (Mt 8, 18-22). In the same way in
the attitudes and in the practice of Jesus we see in what the Kingdom and the
perfect observance of the Law of God consists.
• Matthew 9, 9: The call to follow Jesus. The first persons called to follow Jesus are four fishermen, all Jewish (Mt 4, 18-22). Now Jesus calls a tax collector, considered a sinner and treated as an unclean person by the community of the most observant of the Pharisees. In the other Gospels, this tax collector is called Levi. Here, his name is Matthew, which means gift of God or given by God. The communities, instead of excluding the tax collector and of considering him unclean, should consider him a Gift of God for the community, because his presence makes the community become a sign of salvation for all! Like the first four who were called, in the same way also Matthew, the tax collector, leaves everything that he has and follows Jesus. The following of Jesus requires breaking away from many things. Matthew leaves the tax office, his source of revenue and follows Jesus!
• Matthew 9, 10: Jesus sits at table with sinners and tax collectors. At that time the Jews lived separated from the tax collectors and sinners and they did not eat with them at the same table. The Christian Jews should break away from this isolation and sit at table with the tax collectors and with the unclean, according to the teaching given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mountain, the expression of the universal love of God the Father (Mt 5, 44-48). The mission of the communities was that of offering a place to those who did not have it. But this new law was not accepted by all. In some communities persons coming from paganism, even if they were Christians, were not accepted around the same table (cf. Ac 10, 28; 11, 3; Ga 2, 12). The text of today’s Gospel shows us Jesus who sits at table with tax collectors and sinners in the same house, around the same table.
• Matthew 9, 11: The question of the Pharisees. Jews were forbidden to sit at table with the tax collectors and with sinners, but Jesus does not follow this prohibition. Rather he becomes a friend to them. The Pharisees seeing the attitude of Jesus, ask the disciples: “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This question may be interpreted as an expression of their desire to know why Jesus acts in that way. Others interpret the question like a criticism of Jesus’ behaviour, because for over five hundred years, from the time of the slavery in Babylon until the time of Jesus, the Jews had observed the laws of purity. This secular observance became a strong sign of identity. At the same time it was a factor of their separation in the midst of other peoples. Thus, because of the laws on purity, they could not nor did they succeed to sit around the same table to eat with tax collectors. To eat with tax collectors meant to get contaminated, to become unclean. The precepts of legal purity were rigorously observed, in Palestine as well as in the Jewish communities of the Diaspora. At the time of Jesus, there were more than five hundred precepts to keep purity. In the years 70’s, at the time when Matthew wrote, this conflict was very actual.
• Matthew 9, 12-13: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. Jesus hears the question of the Pharisees to the disciples and he answers with two clarifications: the first one is taken from common sense: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick”. The second one is taken from the Bible: “Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice”. Through these clarifications, Jesus makes explicit and clarifies his mission among the people: “I have not come to call the upright but sinners”. Jesus denies the criticism of the Pharisees; he does not accept their arguments, because they came from a false idea of the Law of God. He himself invokes the Bible: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice”. For Jesus, mercy is more important than legal purity. He refers to the prophetic tradition to say that mercy has greater value for God than all sacrifices (Ho 6, 6; Is 1, 10-17). God has profound mercy, and is moved before the failures of his people (Ho 11, 8-9).
• Matthew 9, 9: The call to follow Jesus. The first persons called to follow Jesus are four fishermen, all Jewish (Mt 4, 18-22). Now Jesus calls a tax collector, considered a sinner and treated as an unclean person by the community of the most observant of the Pharisees. In the other Gospels, this tax collector is called Levi. Here, his name is Matthew, which means gift of God or given by God. The communities, instead of excluding the tax collector and of considering him unclean, should consider him a Gift of God for the community, because his presence makes the community become a sign of salvation for all! Like the first four who were called, in the same way also Matthew, the tax collector, leaves everything that he has and follows Jesus. The following of Jesus requires breaking away from many things. Matthew leaves the tax office, his source of revenue and follows Jesus!
• Matthew 9, 10: Jesus sits at table with sinners and tax collectors. At that time the Jews lived separated from the tax collectors and sinners and they did not eat with them at the same table. The Christian Jews should break away from this isolation and sit at table with the tax collectors and with the unclean, according to the teaching given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mountain, the expression of the universal love of God the Father (Mt 5, 44-48). The mission of the communities was that of offering a place to those who did not have it. But this new law was not accepted by all. In some communities persons coming from paganism, even if they were Christians, were not accepted around the same table (cf. Ac 10, 28; 11, 3; Ga 2, 12). The text of today’s Gospel shows us Jesus who sits at table with tax collectors and sinners in the same house, around the same table.
• Matthew 9, 11: The question of the Pharisees. Jews were forbidden to sit at table with the tax collectors and with sinners, but Jesus does not follow this prohibition. Rather he becomes a friend to them. The Pharisees seeing the attitude of Jesus, ask the disciples: “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” This question may be interpreted as an expression of their desire to know why Jesus acts in that way. Others interpret the question like a criticism of Jesus’ behaviour, because for over five hundred years, from the time of the slavery in Babylon until the time of Jesus, the Jews had observed the laws of purity. This secular observance became a strong sign of identity. At the same time it was a factor of their separation in the midst of other peoples. Thus, because of the laws on purity, they could not nor did they succeed to sit around the same table to eat with tax collectors. To eat with tax collectors meant to get contaminated, to become unclean. The precepts of legal purity were rigorously observed, in Palestine as well as in the Jewish communities of the Diaspora. At the time of Jesus, there were more than five hundred precepts to keep purity. In the years 70’s, at the time when Matthew wrote, this conflict was very actual.
• Matthew 9, 12-13: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. Jesus hears the question of the Pharisees to the disciples and he answers with two clarifications: the first one is taken from common sense: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick”. The second one is taken from the Bible: “Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice”. Through these clarifications, Jesus makes explicit and clarifies his mission among the people: “I have not come to call the upright but sinners”. Jesus denies the criticism of the Pharisees; he does not accept their arguments, because they came from a false idea of the Law of God. He himself invokes the Bible: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice”. For Jesus, mercy is more important than legal purity. He refers to the prophetic tradition to say that mercy has greater value for God than all sacrifices (Ho 6, 6; Is 1, 10-17). God has profound mercy, and is moved before the failures of his people (Ho 11, 8-9).
4) Personal questions
• Today, in our society, who is marginalized and excluded?
Why? In our community, do we have preconceptions or prejudices? Which?
Which is the challenge which the words of Jesus present to our community?
• Jesus asks the people to read and to understand the Old Testament which says: “Mercy is what pleases me and not sacrifice”. What does Jesus want to tell us with this today?
• Jesus asks the people to read and to understand the Old Testament which says: “Mercy is what pleases me and not sacrifice”. What does Jesus want to tell us with this today?
5) Concluding Prayer
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts,
and, doing no evil, who walk in his ways. (Ps 119,2-3)
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts,
and, doing no evil, who walk in his ways. (Ps 119,2-3)
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