DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZK 33:11
ISAIAH 58:9-14
My Soul's Beloved,
God has given us an example for us to follow. He sent You into the world to show us how to live a life of abundant grace. A life that is lived for others is a life worth living. Sadly, we do not trust You enough, we do not trust in Your providence enough, we are so obsessed with ensuring our own needs are met that we are blind to the needs of those around us. We become aggressive, and mean, cold and cruel when we think that others are out to deprive us of what is rightfully ours yet if we just lived in confidence that Your love will provide all we need and that we must share what is given to us with those who have nothing, faith guarantees that our needs will always be met.
Beloved, we have the Decalogue, the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, if we keep all these sincerely, if we are not just hearers of the Word of God but doers as well we will store for ourselves treasures in heaven that will not not rust, or moths destroy, or thieves break in and steal.
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
LUKE 5:27-32
My Soul's Beloved,
We expect mercy, understanding, and compassion to be given to us when we ask You, but withhold it from our brothers and sisters even when they beg for it. We are hard-hearted, judgmental, critical, narrow-minded, suspicious, and even when we know that their motives are innocent of ulterior motives, we remain guarded and stingy in our response to their needs.
Levi, the tax collector, was wealthy with ill-gotten gain and lived in luxury while he hounded and persecuted his fellow Jews in his service to the enemy, the Romans. It is no wonder that he and the rest of his fellow tax collectors were hated and despised. It was a life that Levi chose, and the wrath of his fellowmen came with the territory, while he accepted it, it would have rankled him. He and his family would have wished in their heart to be part of their community and be esteemed by them, but they were aware that as long as he made a living from their misery it was impossible.
Levi would surely have heard of You my Lord, You were well known by now, for everyone had either heard or witnessed the many signs and wonders You performed, as well as heard Your teachings. So when You saw him at work by the customs house and invited him to follow You, I am sure he could not believe he heard You right. Why would a Jewish rabbi who knew the law ask him, a tax collector and the most despised of people, to become a follower? It was impossible and incomprehensible, yet, it was true. I am sure in his great excitement at redemption he jumped up, scattering the money bags around him, practically knocking down the table and chair where he was seated, and without a second glance, leaving it all behind, he followed You.
Every sinner is given as many chances as he is willing to take until he draws his last breath. You pursue us relentlessly, lovingly, perseveringly until the last hour. Thank You, Lord, that You came not for the righteous but for sinners.
Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’
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