THE DAILY GOSPEL
January 19, 2013
Saturday 1st Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 1 Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15 Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. 1st Reading: Heb 4:12-16
For the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and judges the intentions and thoughts of the heart. All creation is transparent to Him; everything is uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we render account.
We have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who has entered heaven. Let us, then, hold fast to the faith we profess. Our high priest is not indifferent to our weaknesses, for he was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sinning. Let us, then, with confidence approach the throne of grace; we will obtain mercy and, through his favor, help in due time. Gospel: Mk 2:13-17
When Jesus went out again beside the lake, a crowd came to him and he taught them. As he walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi got up and followed him.
And it so happened that while Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners were sitting with him and his disciples for there were indeed many of them. But there were also teachers of the Law of the Pharisees’ party, among those who followed Jesus, and when they saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why! He eats with tax collectors and sinners!”
Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Reflection:
Jesus has come to call the sinners, not the righteous. Does it mean that Jesus is excluding a particular group of people? Not really, because in reality, all human beings fall into a single category—that of sinners. But how about the saints? G. K. Chesterton rightly observes: “There are saints indeed in my religion, but a saint only means a man who really knows he is a sinner” (Alarms and Discursions). It is a pity that the Pharisees could not see or acknowledge their kinship with the “tax collectors and sinners.” Had they done so, they would have not only joined in the meal, but recognized their need for forgiveness and healing as well.
Are you able to experience and acknowledge your kinship with other people in their brokenness? How open are you in recognizing your sinfulness and the need for God’s forgiveness?
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