I desire mercy, not sacrifice,

 

Scripture readings for today can be found at Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel from St. Matthew for today we see another confrontation between the Pharisees and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees see that the apostles were doing something that went against the laws of the Sabbath. The law in this instance was doing what was considered work on the Sabbath when the apostles, because of their hunger, started picking the heads of grain to satisfy their hunger. To the Pharisees this was a great sin. Instead of looking at the fact that the apostles were hungry and deserved to be fed the Pharisees looked at it from the perspective that they were breaking the sabbath.

But Jesus defends his disciples' actions of plucking grain on the Sabbath, arguing that mercy and human need take precedence over strict Sabbath observance. The Lord further reminded them of the time when David and his men ate the Sacred Bread in the temple which only the priests were allowed to eat. This act of mercy towards those who are hungry is something pleasing to God.

In our own time we are called by Jesus to be merciful towards those in our lives that may not be doing things according to our understanding of God and of His laws. Everything in God’s laws and commandments flow from loving God and loving those around us.

We are to look at everyone with the eyes of mercy. We are to see people that are loved by God.  We are to look beyond what is in the law and look towards the needs of those around us. By being merciful towards everyone and showing them the love that God has for them we are helping them come closer to God and to grow in relationship with the God who loves them. Instead of pointing our fingers towards people and telling them they are breaking God’s commandments, we are to have open arms to welcome them into our Christian community letting them know that God loves them unconditionally.

It is by showing them the love of God that they will be drawn to following the God of love and mercy.

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners

 

Scripture for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today we see the usual judgementalism of the Pharisees towards Jesus and those who Jesus was ministering to. Jesus’ mission was to come and help people return to relationship with God.

Tax collectors during the time of Jesus were considered outcasts by the Jewish people because they worked for the Roman government and were extorting money from the Jews in order to turn it over to the Romans, while keeping some of the money for themselves. As a result, they were considered the worsts of sinners for betraying God and the Jewish people in order to make a profit. Further, there were others who just simply turned away from their faith in God and were living lives not compatible with Jewish law.

To the Pharisees these people were beyond redemption and were already condemned by God. Jesus, knowing the hearts of all people, reached out to these tax collectors and sinners and showed them the love that God has for each one of them. All they needed to do was to turn back to God, repent for their sinfulness, and develop that loving relationship with God, who is all loving and forgiving.

Matthew is a prime example of someone turning his life over to God. Through Jesus Christ, he saw his sinfulness, repented, and would go on to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. We are to be like St. Matthew in helping others to come and know the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

In our day and age, Jesus is still calling people away from their sinful ways to turn back to Him and to seek forgiveness for their sins through his church. All of us are called to be Christ-like towards those who may be living a life not appropriate to the Christian way of life that we know and love. We are called to be welcoming to all people and invite them to share our faith in the loving God, as taught by Jesus Christ. We may see people whose lifestyles we may not approve of, but we need to look beyond their sinfulness and see people loved by God and made in His likeness. We are called to pray for them and make them welcome in our Christian community. As Jesus responds to the Pharisees, when they question about why he was with tax collectors and sinners, he says, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” (Matthew 9:12) Those who have left the church and relationship with God for any reason are being called by the Lord to return to a relationship with Him and to seek forgiveness.

So let us show the love of God to all people and make all welcomed into our church. Pray for them that they may turn away from sin and embrace a life in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.