Homily for
the tenth Sunday of the year
Year A - Mt. 9:9-13
by
Father Daniel Meynen
"As
Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at
the tax office; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and
followed him.
"And
as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and
sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the
Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your
teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' But when he heard it,
he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those
who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, and
not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6) For I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners.' "
Homily:
"As
Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at
the tax office; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and
followed him."
Jesus is
traveling across Galilee. He has performed more than a few miracles:
everyone, or almost everyone, has heard of him (cf. Mk. 1:28) His
fame precedes him: certain people think he is a sinner, for he does
not observe the sabbath, and others consider him a prophet... In any
case, it is in this atmosphere of controversy that Jesus notices a
publican named Matthew: he tells him to follow him... And Matthew
leaves everything behind to follow he who is wealth itself, the
unique Good, the only Being capable of filling the hearts of men!
Jesus called
Matthew to follow him! This was a great event in the life of
Matthew, but also in the life of the entire Church. For Matthew is
one of the four evangelists we periodically read in order to know, a
little better each day, the Word of God as the Holy Spirit allowed it
to be preserved by Matthew in writing. But, today, can the vocation
of Matthew bring us something? Without any doubt!
First of
all, does God call us into his service today? Or rather, do we,
today, try to hear what God has to say to us? Do we listen to what
the Spirit says to the Church in the year 2002? Are we attentive to
the signs of God in our life? For it is in this way that God calls
us, it is in these circumstances that we can be called by God to
follow him!
Matthew
heard speak of Jesus, he knew who the prophet of Nazareth was, he was
ready to listen to all that the Master had to say to him... For the
Word of God works first within the soul, it prepares the spirit of
man through grace and it disposes it interiorly to welcoming the Word
that will later on be addressed to it from outside, through some
event... Like a drop of water that silently penetrates into a
sponge, the grace of God shapes the spirit of man in order that it
might be receptive to the Word of God at the opportune time...
"And
as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and
sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples."
We cannot
say if it was the grace of God that led people of sinful lives to sit
down with Jesus. And yet, Jesus' very aspect, his amiable air, full
of grace and kindness, was enough to draw to him people of every
category, good people and immoral people, good men and renegades,
like the good thief who was crucified with Jesus on Calvary... For
the grace of God can act in various ways, and, when the soul is not
properly disposed, grace can make use of external signs to lead man
to God...
"And
when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' But when he heard
it, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but
those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire
mercy, and not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6) For I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners.' "
"I
desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners." What a beautiful word for today's
world! I have already said it, and I will say it again: why do we
cry out: "Justice! Justice!" when we should be crying
out: "Mercy! Mercy!" Why do we loudly invoke justice in
the name of legislation that, in many countries, authorizes abortion,
and soon euthanasia? Where are the just men? Where are the just
nations? Where is this world that calls itself just?
Where is
that time when the residents of the same town or of the same region
walked in procession, notables and magistrates at their head, to
implore God for his mercy? Where is the faith of our fathers who
cried out: "Mercy!"... We must change! Our lives must
change! For now is the hour of mercy, not justice... The Lord Jesus
is there, waiting for us with his grace! The Lord Jesus, full of
kindness and compassion, is there and he calls us to follow him, like
Matthew!
Let us ask
the Most Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for us before her Divine
Son, in order that the Holy Spirit might be given to us in abundance!
May Jesus Eucharist transform our heart and make us true disciples
of Christ, for the Glory of the Father, through Mary!
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