Guess Who Came to Dinner?

~~~ Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 ~~~ Psalm 106 ~~~ Matthew 9:9-13 ~~~

 

 “Follow me.”

Today we are given another example of someone

 chosen by Jesus to follow him...

Matthew was a despised tax collector. Tax collectors are rarely

looked upon kindly.

This is one more example of Jesus calling without judging.

The who witnessed this invitation were quick to judge.

Matthew not only got up and left his job;

he also immediately welcomed Jesus into his home.

They shared a meal together along with some friends of Matthew.

Understandably, Matthew's friends were in the same

if not similar occupation.

Matthew means gift of God.

Matthew brought the gift of God to his friends and co-workers.

 

Jesus now has the opportunity to touch the lives

of those who come to dinner.

Those who come by invitation from Matthew.

Jesus now had several others he could influence with his kindness.

Jesus did not judge those who came to dinner that day, but others did.

This is true today as well, Jesus accepts all who come to him

even if they were invited by someone else.

 

This is what evangelization is all about...

we are called to invite others to follow Jesus.

 

In the midst of criticism, Jesus makes a profound proclamation.

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do...

It may be true that those who are well do not need a physician,

 but those who are well need to maintain their health.

We have the Eucharist to help us maintain the health of our soul.

We have the sacrament of reconciliation

 to maintain the health of our heart.

 

 

...Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

 

We have a merciful and just God.

A God slow to anger.

When you come to know God you also come to understand

 his mercy and forgiveness.

No matter how many times we fail; Jesus is always willing

to forgive us and take us back into his loving care.

Jesus came for us...we are among those he calls sinners.

 

When Jesus comes to dine in your heart do as Matthew did...

invite your friends to join with you at table.

If they come to know you they will surely also come to know Jesus.

 

Jesus accepted Matthew's invitation to dine with him in his home.

He came to witness God's acceptance and mercy.

Matthew quickly responded to the direct call of Jesus.

When you are being called to follow Jesus there is no confusion...

 

Jesus often used parables to teach his point of view,

but when he calls his disciples it is not in the context of a story.

Jesus uses few words when he calls you to follow him.

All we need do is respond affirmatively.

 

Blessings found in the call and in the dinner invitation.

Our Blessings come in reaching out to others. 

 

“The only difference between saints and sinners

is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future. ”

Oscar Wilde

Brand New Day for You

Saint Maria Goretti, Pray for us!

~~~ Amos 8:4-6, 9-12 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Matthew 9: 9-13 ~~~

"...Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.

Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it."

A famine for hearing the word of the Lord would indeed be a catastrophic day.

And yet how many times have we heard but not listened to the word? More importantly how many times have we heard and willfully ignored the word?

How many times have we denied the word?

When we are without the word firmly planted in our heart we are lost.

There is nothing to really anchor us and so we are tossed about

like toys in the bathtub water.

What will happen next?

Which way will the tide carry us?

Will the waves cause us to capsize?

If the words of the Lord are an integral part of the fabric of who you are no one and nothing can take that away from you. Even if someone would come along and take away your Bible they could never take away what you have stored in your heart.

Tuck the words of the Lord into your heart let them be alive there...

feel them giving you life...they are the green pasture...the living water...

His words are essential to our ability to practice our faith.

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet", sings Amy Grant.

The words of the Lord contain all the advice you will ever need.

Matthew, a tax collector, when called to follow;

got up asked no questions and took his place at the side of Jesus.

"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."

Jesus was challenging his critics to study and notice what was changing since he came to town. He had a new attitude about how to treat other people.

He was reminding them to go back to the scripture they should have known.

"For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts." Hosea 6:6

Jesus intended to model love above all else.

His mercy is greater than any sacrifice we could conceive.

There is nothing we could sacrifice that would equal the mercy

Jesus offers to each of us.

Jesus calls when you are living your life.

Did you notice Matthew was working?

Matthew may have been longing for a change

not knowing how to make it a reality.

Jesus makes the impossible possible.

Jesus showed Matthew a better way to make a life!

He never ceases to surprise us!

Living in God's Abundance

~~~ Isaiah 58: 9b-14 ~~~ Psalm 86 ~~~ Luke 5: 27:32 ~~~

The Lord is continuing to speak to us through the prophet Isaiah. The Lord says, okay now that you have taken off the sunglasses...put them away...leave them off, because I have more in store for you.

God says if you follow my ways I will bless you with such abundance you will be astounded. Your life will be drastically changed,

if you keep your eyes focused on my way.

If we keep our eyes focused on doing what God wants in our life we can share in this same abundance. In his presence the light of God will guide us and this same light coming forth from the sun will bring abundance to the land. The Lord is our light and our salvation, we know that now, but those listening to the prophet did not have the full spectrum of the divine light.

God in his wisdom appealed to what they were familiar with...the things they would want to see changed. He speaks about a plentiful supply of water with beautiful gardens. They were in the desert; water was a scarce commodity. Today it is hard for us to believe it, but water is in short supply in many areas of the world.

God will provide for those who follow him. When you do not have access to water it would be much more challenging to believe the message of a caring God. Globally, 1.2 million people live in areas today wiht inadequate water supply.

Just this past summer we got a little taste of what it would mean to have a serious shortage of water. The promise of water got everyone's attention. It meant not only beautiful gardens but more food and less disease. They could bathe, a luxury when you are on a desert hike for years and years.

God wants us to thirst for him. If you do not know what you are missing you will not long for it? If you do not know there is an alternative how can you reach for it? God is saying, I am the alternative, this is what you have been missing. God is the missing link. The psalmist says 'teach me your ways Lord.' We need to be taught about the better way. The way God wants us live.

Jesus calls the tax collector, Matthew, and says come with me; there is a better way. I will teach you how to live abundantly. I will show the meaning of true wealth without collecting people's wages.

This image reflects God's promise of the abundance of water.

This photo is of the POP Sanctuary during Lent 2010.

Following the way of God leads us to the path of abundance.

An abundance that can only come from God.

With each glass of water you drink,

let that be a reminder of God's generous presence in your life.