Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2, 13-17
Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
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.”
To Caesar and to God
1) Be impartial and accept others. How good it would be if people could say that about us! We should treat everyone kindly and fairly. We shouldn’t make friends just for our own benefit; we should have a big, open heart that welcomes everyone. Like Jesus…. look at your heart and consider: how do you behave towards others? Do you treat everyone alike or do you get close to certain people just because they are popular or influential?
2) Give to Caesar. We, Christians, are called to be exemplary citizens, fulfilling our social and political obligations. Lay people are called to evangelize their community and to transmit the presence of God in everyday life. This implies evangelizing by complying with the rules; evangelizing by being punctual at work; evangelizing by paying employees what is fair; and evangelizing by seeking what is best for all. Our spiritual life cannot be disconnected from reality. We must be careful not to have a saintly face inside the Church while we are harsh critics outside of it. The key is to fulfill social as well as religious responsibilities.
3) To God. You must remember to fulfill your religious obligations and by that, I mean your spiritual and material commitments. It’s not that I’m asking you for money… But ask yourself, do you contribute to your church? Do you give your time, your money or your talents? It’s good to remember that it is your responsibility and mine to cooperate, and this is not reduced to material help (although it is true that we Catholics have a reputation for being a little stingy), but it is also important to contribute time or certain talents that you can share, to support the Church.
Remember that you are the Church, and you build the Church, the living Church.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And remember that something good is on the way!
