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.”

Follow me

1. Matthew. In the Jewish society of his time, Matthew was seen as someone driven by material gain. He collected taxes for an occupying power instead of serving his own people, so he definitely wasn’t considered one of the “good guys.” Yet Jesus still reached out to him. That shows us something powerful: Jesus comes close to everyone, even those whose failures are public. In God’s eyes, every person can change, and none of us has the right to judge. We’re called to walk with them instead.

2. Tax Collectors and Sinners. They felt comfortable around Jesus and even sought Him out, and He welcomed them—He even sat down to eat with them. People probably thought, “He’s lost His mind!” But Jesus gives us a powerful lesson: we need the courage to bring His message to society’s “bad boys”—to the marginalized and to those who feel pushed away from the Church. We have to admit that inside the Church, we frequently put up barriers for others and that our actions as a church community often turn people away. We worry about what others will think if they see us spending time with someone they consider a sinner. But if being Christian means becoming another Christ, then we should do what Christ did: spend time with the outcast. Look for the brother or sister who feels lost, distant, or labeled as a public sinner—whether that’s someone who is divorced and remarried, or anyone else who feels judged. We need to reach out with respect, because none of us has the right to judge.

3. Mercy. We are small before God, but mercy means knowing He has set His eyes on us. Yes, we are tiny in the grand scheme of things, but through Him, we are lifted up. Let God take hold of your life. And remember, “God forgives every heart that is truly sorry.”

Remember, something good is on the way! 

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