LEARNING GOD'S MERCY - 7/01/22 (Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time)

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.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/063022.cfm

For more information on the Optional Memorial of Saint Junipero Serra, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-1---saint-junipero-serra-priest---usa-optional-memorial/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Blessed Friday! In today's gospel reading, Jesus saw Matthew, a tax collector, and told him, "Follow Me." Tax collectors in the time of Jesus were considered as sinners because they were always deceiving people, especially the uneducated, for them to have more money. And yet, despite the sins of St. Matthew, our Savior still called him to be one of His twelve disciples. God's love towards us is not conditional based on our past. The reason why Jesus called Him to be His follower was because He knew the potential of St. Matthew in doing the will of God. As we all know, he's one of the writers of the Gospel. 

One of the reasons why we may find it difficult to come to our Lord is we do not know His mercy. There is a tendency for us to think that Jesus acts like everybody does. Let's consider the example of the Pharisees. They did not want to interact with the sinners because they thought they were far from the "righteousness" of the Pharisees and scribes. Sometimes, when we are hurt by other people who judge us for our sins, rather than embrace us and encourage us to do better, we may fall to the temptation of justifying our actions thinking that there is no chance for us to change. 

However, the examples of St. Matthew, tax collectors, and other sinners who converted when they encountered Jesus in their lives prove otherwise. Jesus Christ is our Merciful Savior and the Divine Physician. He does not stay away from us when we sin. In fact, He desires for us to come even closer because of our sins. He wants to heal our hearts that are full of spiritual illnesses. Our sins affect our minds, hearts and souls. When we commit these faults, we become attached to it and make us fall to the same temptations again and again. For example, a person who gossips and speaks negative things towards his or her neighbors will be used to doing the same sins over and over again. But, nothing is impossible with God. 

Our Lord can correct our ways if we are willing to submit to His will. He is waiting for us to admit our faults to Him and beg for His graces to resist the temptations and persevere in virtues. Even if we fall again, as long as we repent for our sins and trust in His mercy, He will be pleased. God is not angry at us, but He loves us, and He helps us to be united in Him. It's good for us to have exterior devotions, but these actions should be rooted in our interior devotion and love for  Christ. God desires mercy. We can only learn the mercy of God if we become merciful towards ourselves and experience God's mercy for us. May we remain humble for our hearts to receive the infinite love and healing mercy of God. Jesus sees the potential in us because He is telling all of us, "Follow Me." God will never be tired of healing the souls who always come to Him in humility. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic