Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 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.”

God calls you

1. Sitting. If you sit still and do nothing new, monotony can make you lose your creativity. It may give you security and even stability, but it can hinder the adventure of living. In this life monotony can hold you back, in your marriage, in my priesthood. It may give you comfort and a sense of security, but at the price of an inner emptiness. There are risks in life, but it’s so beautiful to live fully!
2. Matthew. Life is not only about material things, and neither is it all about degrees and qualifications. Maybe Matthew had a life, but it was dependent on buying and collecting. When you have a life that is reduced to bills, life itself takes its toll on you. Don’t live your life craving for material things only, and don’t be a “collector” in the lives of others. Your life is yours and I respect that, but don’t reduce it to just buying and selling.
3. Mercy. We shouldn’t be Christians who shut others out; we should be open and dynamic. To be honest, we are a Church that has closed in on ourselves and we must be self-critical of this. There is a society that is beaten and even self-afflicted, because it considers itself sinful, and we have often labeled those who were in need of God. It’s possible that the person whom many point their finger at today, may be the person who’ll help others in the future. We shouldn’t point our finger at others; we’re called to live and encourage. Many have had the experience of being mistreated by a priest in the confessional, or by stone-faced people who stand at the door of the church and question you when you want to help in the community. We must recognize that these negative experiences often pull us back, but without forgetting the many who evangelize with their lives and contribute enormously to the church. Today, let us see what we can do for our Church. It’s not necessary to become an altar boy, maybe just asking the priest how he is or simply taking a flower to the Blessed Sacrament is enough. The simple and easy contributions are more effective than the grandiose and massive. Remember that twelve madmen started all this which is already more than two thousand years old and is all over the world. God has given us this life to live together with others.

Never forget that something good is on the way.

God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.