NO SACRIFICES BUT JUSTICE

July 2, Friday

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

      In line with the promise made by God to give the “Promised Land,” to his descendants, Abraham seeks a wife for his son Isaac from his own relatives, but without letting Isaac live in their pagan environment.  For to keep his religion pure Isaac cannot take a Canaanite wife. God is shown here as the God of history.

      The gospel, which Jesus preaches and lives, is not a religion based on the self-righteousness of people but a religion of love and mercy based on God’s pure generosity. This makes it possible for a typical sinner – an exploiter and a traitor to his people to boot – to be called to be an apostle. And Christ sits at table with sinners – with Levi-Matthew and his friends, with us now “so that sins may be forgiven.”

 

First Reading: Genesis 23:1-4,19; 24:1-8,62-67

Sarah lived 127 years. Sarah died in Karait Arab, present-day Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham mourned for Sarah and wept.

Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites: “I know I’m only an outsider here among you, but sell me a burial plot so that I can bury my dead decently.”

Abraham was now an old man. God had blessed Abraham in every way.

Abraham spoke to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh and swear by God—God of Heaven, God of Earth—that you will not get a wife for my son from among the young women of the Canaanites here, but will go to the land of my birth and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

The servant answered, “But what if the woman refuses to leave home and come with me? Do I then take your son back to your home country?”

Abraham said, “Oh no. Never. By no means are you to take my son back there. God, the God of Heaven, took me from the home of my father and from the country of my birth and spoke to me in solemn promise, ‘I’m giving this land to your descendants.’ This God will send his angel ahead of you to get a wife for my son. And if the woman won’t come, you are free from this oath you’ve sworn to me. But under no circumstances are you to take my son back there.”

Isaac was living in the Negev. He had just come back from a visit to Beer Lahai Roi. In the evening he went out into the field; while meditating he looked up and saw camels coming. When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man out in the field coming toward us?”

“That is my master.”

She took her veil and covered herself.

After the servant told Isaac the whole story of the trip, Isaac took Rebekah into the tent of his mother Sarah. He married Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her. So Isaac found comfort after his mother’s death.

 

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.

Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cosy with crooks and riffraff?”

Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”

 

Prayer

God of mercy,
you put the self-righteous to shame
and you call sinners to the task
of bringing your Son’s salvation to the world.
Forgive us our pride and reassure us
that we can count on you and your love
because we are weak and sinful people.
Let us share in your life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection

Mercy

The story of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector, to be his apostle brings us a message of hope and comfort. As we read the Gospel, let us keep this in mind that it is Matthew himself who is reporting this incident. He must have been re-living those moments with gratitude and joy. From the state of being despised and hated by the people, he received the invitation of Jesus to follow him. He was asked to make the decision of his life – to give up the wealth and comforts of being a tax-man and to go with a wandering preacher! That was a huge decision to make which Matthew would cherish for the rest of his life.
We, followers of Christ will also have such moments where we experienced the merciful gaze of Jesus and his forgiveness. Matthew reminds us never to forget those moments of grace. We often hear people talk about painful incidents in life and say they “Will never forget.” By doing that they choose to live in the pains and anger of the past. Instead, the gospel invites us cherish the memory of God mercy and forgiveness that chose us to be Christians, to be his followers.

The tax collector Matthew did not forget his moment of conversion and he lived the rest of his life for the Gospel”. When an apostle forgets his origins, he distances himself from the Lord and become an ‘official’. Pope Francis calls such “Officials” of the Church, who perhaps do a good job, but fail to be apostles anymore. They are people who organizes pastoral projects and plans and many other things but they are incapable of ‘transmitting’ Jesus; because they have forgotten from where they were chosen, says Pope Francis .

To be a Christian is a great thing, a beautiful thing. When the Lord chooses, it is for something great. When Matthew was called by Jesus he renounced all to follow Him, he invited his friends to sit with Jesus to celebrate. At that table, sat “the very worst of society. And Jesus with them”. By eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus was effectively identifying with them. God’s mercy seeks everyone, forgives everyone. The only thing he asks of us is to say that all-important “YES!”

The Lord’s mercy is a mystery; God’s heart is the greatest and most beautiful mystery. If you want to make your way to God’s heart, take the road of mercy, and allow ourself be treated with mercy.
“Wy do you sit and eat with the sinners?” The scribes questioned Jesus. The same question has been the source of conflict in the Church across the centuries – We are too fast in labeling people as bad, evil and prefer to keep them out of our communities, while forgetting our own sinfulness and mercy of God.

 

Video available on Youtube: Mercy