Tag: Matthew

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” | Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 2:13-17)

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to follow him. Matthew invites Jesus to dine at his house along with many tax collectors and sinners. When the Scribes and Pharisees see them dining together, they are critical of Jesus, questioning why he would eat with sinners. After Jesus hears their remarks, his response reveals the purpose of his mission and how he came to choose Matthew as one of the apostles: the sick need the Divine Physician, and Jesus calls sinners to him. Saint Paul recognizes the dependence we have on the grace and mercy Jesus offers when he says, “No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.”

Father in heaven, help me now and throughout the day receive your grace through Jesus Christ your Son. Let the words of Saint Paul remind me what it means to respond as Saint Matthew did on hearing the words “Follow me.” It means that in approaching the throne of grace, I have the sympathy and compassion of Jesus. Give me the grace to do as Paul urges in saying, “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of the Divine Physician, show me the way to your Son. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:1-8)

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.”

Passing by Matthew while he is at work in his daily life, Jesus says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew immediately gets up and follows him, accepting his command. As Jesus meets us every day of our lives, the invitation extends to all of us, even as we miss the mark in words and actions through sin. While at Matthew’s house for dinner, other tax collectors and sinners come to join them. The Pharisees’ comment sets up Jesus for a reply that embraces even their hardness of heart: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” His invitation is for all, his mercy for every one of us. Our response to it makes all the difference. Where is the greatest need today for his healing in our lives?

God, you sent Jesus the divine physician for the sake of sinners. The call to holiness is not limited to a certain people or place or time but is universal. Help me, then, recognize fully that Christ invites me to follow him to receive his mercy; in receiving it, give me the grace and wisdom to see where I may be a means of mercy to others. Take my anxieties of the day, Lord, that prevent me from hearing and doing your will so that I remain in your presence at all times. As Saint Anthony Zaccaria, said: Before starting your activities, offer Jesus a few words of your choosing. Then, during your work often lift up your mind to God. You will benefit much and there will be no detriment to your job.” Saint Anthony Zaccaria, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (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.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sees Matthew, a tax collector, sitting at the tax booth, and he says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew immediately gets up and follows Jesus. This event highlights Jesus’ authority to call individuals to be his disciples and the transformative power of his invitation. The meaning of this passage first emphasizes Jesus’ inclusive mission to call all people, regardless of their social status or reputation, to be his followers. It also challenges the religious leaders’ narrow understanding of righteousness and their exclusion of sinners. Jesus quotes from the prophet Hosea, emphasizing that God desires genuine acts of mercy and love rather than mere external sacrifices.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow him, and Levi responds by giving a great banquet for Jesus. When criticized by the Pharisees for eating with sinners, Jesus says that he came to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. He says, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.” It is nothing short of wholeness that Jesus invites Matthew into. Luke tells us that Matthew left everything behind. The result of that, as the first reading from Isaiah says, is renewed strength: “Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday . . . He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.”

God, help me understand what Matthew came to learn. In inviting Matthew to follow you, you brought him into healing and wholeness. Let me see in that an invitation for me as well and the conversion that results from recognizing my need for your Son, the Divine Physician. As in the Responsorial Psalm, I pray for this recognition. “Incline your ear, O LORD, answer me, for I am afflicted and poor.” Give me the grace today to put pride and self-reliance aside to receive your mercy. As French priest Father Jacques Philippe suggests, self-emptying allows you, Lord, space to work within me: “We have a hard time accepting that we are poor of heart. To receive everything from the mercy of God—to accept that God is our source of richness and not ourselves—requires a great poverty of heart.”

Lord, bestow on me the poverty of heart that makes room for you for me to follow you and do your will.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings