DAILY- HOMILY

13 February 2016 

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Violet.       

Is 58: 9b – 14 / Lk 5: 27 – 32.

From the 1st Reading: Is 58:9b – 12

If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word, if you share your food with the hungry and give relief to the oppressed, then your light will rise in the dark, your light will be like noon.

Yahweh will guide you always and give you relief in desert places.  He will strengthen your bone; he will make you a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.  Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt, the age-old foundations will be raised. You will be called the Breach-mender, and the Restorer of ruined houses.

Gospel Reading: Lk 5: 27- 32

After this Jesus went out, and as he noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax-office, he said to him, "Follow me." So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus.

Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house and took their place at table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their fellow teachers complained to Jesus' disciples, "How is it that you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinners?" But Jesus spoke up, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. I have come to call to repentance; I call sinners, not the righteous."

Reflection

In a normal scenario, we don't expect a righteous person to be "mingling" with seemingly shady people, those with not a very good reputation.   The Gospel seems to lump the tax collectors and sinners together.   It gives us the impression that the tax collectors were people who imposed a heavy burden on the people.   And therefore generally disliked, if not hated.   

So when Jesus calls out Levi by name – and asks him to follow him, this raises a lot of eyebrows!  And the surprising thing is that Levi left everything and followed Christ! Of course many felt that this was unfair and unbecoming, and yet the mind of Jesus is not the mind of man.   

Christ has compassion for all, and all means every single human being.   It means that there is always hope for everyone.   And this call is especially precious for those who need Christ.  

Everyone needs God, even if we won't admit it, whether we are "near" to the Church or not.   This is a basic need, to reach out to our Creator and see our finite and weak limitations.  This prompts and propels us to seek the true meaning of our existence and our need to be filled with the love of God.  God has come not to condemn us, but to save us.  God has found everyone deserving of His salvation, so Christ shows this when he calls out the tax collectors and sinners.   He does not exclude anyone, which means we are included too!

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Arsenio Sze Alianan

     Regina David

     Jasper Tiu

     Eliana Lauren Castillo Meoli

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Tan Ai Le Tong

     Virginia Lim (Mar 28, 1935 – Feb 13, 2014)

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

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