Tất cả của cải vật chất trên thế giới và sự đam mê của chúng ta chắc chắn sẽ không thể đáp ứng đươc tất cả những nhu cầu đòi hỏi của con người chúng ta. Chỉ có Chúa Giêsu, Con Thiên Chúa là vị cứu tinh của thế giới mới có thể đem lại cho chúng ta những niềm vui và hạnh phúc nước trời.
Today gospel passage gives us hope. Jesus comes to save sinners. The tax collector Matthew must have experienced the meaninglessness of accumulating riches, exploiting others, etc. He must also have resolved to amend his ways after listening to Jesus preach. The world and all its allurements cannot satisfy man. Only Jesus, Son of God and saviour of the world, can. Jesus is the true physician of minds, souls, and bodies
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners,
- Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to visit healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life.
The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care. Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the prophet Hosea: For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Should thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to us? And do We show mercy to our neighbor as well?
"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself." (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)
“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.” Matthew 9:12–13
Would you describe yourself as one who is “well” or one who is “sick?” Are you among the “righteous” or the “sinners?” Be careful how you answer this question. Of course, the pride that comes with our fallen human nature often tempts us to claim that we are “well” and “righteous.” But humility will reveal the truth that we are among the “sick” and “sinners.”
This statement of Jesus is a response to the Pharisees who noticed that Jesus was dining at the house of Matthew, the tax collector, whom He had just called to follow Him. Matthew did indeed leave everything behind and followed Jesus, and then he hosted dinner for Jesus at his house. At that dinner, there were “many tax collectors and sinners” who came and sat with Jesus and His disciples, which led the Pharisees to ridicule them all.
Jesus’ response is very important for us to hear. By stating that He came not for those who were well and righteous but for those who were sick and sinners, it tells us two important things. First, it tells us that we are all spiritually sick and sinful. Second, it tells us that if we cannot humbly admit to that, and in our pride claim that we are well and are righteous, then we essentially reject Jesus, the Divine Physician, from our lives. We essentially say, “Lord, I do not need You.”
It’s also helpful to notice that Jesus was not embarrassed to be seen with sinners. He did not hesitate at all and, in fact, clearly stated that they were those whom He came for. For that reason, we should not be afraid or embarrassed to admit we are sinners who are spiritually ill and in need of our Lord. To deny that fact is to deny reality and to deny the very source of the ongoing healing we most certainly need in life. It’s a denial of our need for Christ Jesus Himself.
Do you need our Lord? Do you need interior cleansing, healing, and forgiveness every day? If it’s difficult for you to wholeheartedly say “Yes” to that question, then perhaps you struggle with the pride of the Pharisees more than you know. No matter how holy you become, no matter how deeply you pray and no matter how charitable you are, you will always need the healing and forgiveness of the Divine Physician each and every day.
Reflect, today, upon the need you have in your life today for forgiveness. What sin do you struggle with the most? Interestingly, the holier one becomes, the more clearly they see their daily sins and their need for forgiveness and healing. If you struggle with this at all, spend time examining your conscience. Look for ways to do it more thoroughly and honestly. If you do, you can be certain that our Lord, the Divine Physician, will deeply desire to dine with you today and always.
My forgiving Lord, You are the Divine Physician Who has come to forgive and heal all of our ills. Remove my pride and self-righteousness so that I can be filled with humility and see clearly the sin in my life. As I see my sin, help me to turn to You and to trust in Your abundant mercy. You came for sinners, dear Lord, and I am one of those sinners in need. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I offer you the sacrifice of my life, united to the sufferings of your Son. I will be merciful as you are merciful. I will strive for holiness and perfection as you are holy and perfect.
1. The Visions of Amos: Amos prophesied during the height of Israel’s prosperity. The officials of the kingdom considered the prophet nothing more than a thorn in their side (Amos 7:10-17). Amaziah, the high priest at the sanctuary of Bethel, expelled Amos from the sanctuary and demanded that he return to his native Judah. Amos’s prophecies and visions only intensify: “The sequence of Amos’ visions indicates that he became increasingly conscious of impending doom hanging over Israel because of the injustice in the land. In his early visions of locusts and drought, the prophet is able to avert disaster by means of intercessory prayer (7:1-6). However in the last three visions of the plumb-line, the ripe fruit, and the sanctuary (7:7-9; 8:1-3; 9:1-4), the prophet shows that calamity has become irrevocable. The Lord seems to be indicating that by rejecting the prophet’s word, Israel had crossed the line of no return” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 249). Amos foresees the “Day of the Lord” not as a time of victory over Israel’s enemies, but rather as a time of divine judgment, terror for the unrighteous, wailing, and lamentation. Israel and Samaria will be invaded by Assyria in 722 B.C. and the people will be sent into exile. This was nothing more than the fulfillment of God’s word, the divine visitation on the injustice rampant among the people. The people were unfaithful to their mission to bring the nations to worship the one, true God, and so God sent them out as exiles into the nations, until the day when his Son, Jesus Christ, would come to restore the tribes of Israel and gather all people to himself. Am I faithful to the mission I have received at Baptism and Confirmation to be a witness to God in the world?
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask for your grace to look beyond the superficial elements of life, to see all with your eyes, and thus respond with your heart.
Looking Beyond: When Jesus looks at a soul, he looks beyond the prejudices of culture. He looks beyond the humanly derived political agendas or social platforms. Jesus looks beyond the surface to see the dignity of the wounded person. That implies seeing the heart of every single soul. When Jesus looked at Matthew, he saw his entire history from the moment of his splendid creation, through the messiness of life, to the present state of his soul. Jesus always calls the whole person, as they are, because he also sees beyond the present to the potential apostle awaiting nurturing.
Trong bài đọc thứ nhất, tiên tri Amos cho thấy những sai phạm của sự bóc lột và của những sự lừa đảo. Tiên tri Amos cảnh báo Israel về sự trừng phạt bí ẩn của Thiên Chúa trên những người làm sự ác; Chúa sẽ cho đem lại bóng tối, tang tóc, nạn đói kém và sự khô cần vì thiếu Lời Chúa.
Sự trừng phạt này coi như có vẻ điên rồ. Nhưng, nó có nghĩa là Thiên Chúa có thể đã chán ngấy với sự lì lợm của chúng ta và Ngài sẽ khộng còn muốn nói chuyện với chúng ta nữa. Nếu tội lỗi của chúng ta đã trở nên nặng gánh mà tâm hồn chúng ta không còn sức chịu đựng, Thiên Chúa sẽ để cho những hành động đồi trụy, tội lỗi làm cho chúng ta bị quá khô cằn và cho đến chúng ta khát vọng tình yêu và lòng thương xót của Ngài. Địa ngục không phải là lò lửa và diêm sinh, nhưng là một nơi mà không có sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa , và ở nơi đó, con người sẽ cảm thấy rỗng và thiếu vắng vì những hành động ích kỷ của chúng ta và sự sống vô đạo đức, sẽ nổi lên và gặm nhấm tâm hồn chúng ta , Chỉ có Thiên Chúa thực sự mới có thể lấp đầy tâm hồn và làm cho chúng ta được hạnh phúc. Không phải tiền bạc, không phải sự thành công, danh vọng, quyền lực, và uy tín của trần thế
Tất cả của cải vật chất trên thế giới và sự đam mê của chúng sẽ không thể đáp ứng cho con người chúng ta. Chỉ có Chúa Giêsu, Con Thiên Chúa là vị cứu tinh của thế giới mới có thể đem lại chúng ta những niềm vui và hạnh phúc nước trời.
In the first reading, the prophet Amos exposes the wrongdoings of exploiters and swindlers. Obviously the sins of the present time are also the sins of the past. Amos warns Israel of a mysterious punishment from God on evildoers; darkness, mourning, famine and drought of the word of God. The punishment is sound scariest. But it means that God can be so fed up with us as to stop talking to us. If our sins become too much to bear, God will leave us to our depraved actions till we are so dried up and thirsty for his love and mercy. Hell is not fire and brimstone, but a place where God is absent because there He is not wanted. And there, the emptiness man feels after years of selfish actions, such as exploiting others and immoral living, will surface and gnaw at him because only God can truly fill up and make us happy. Not money, success, fame, power or prestige.
Today gospel passage gives us hope. Jesus comes to save sinners. The tax collector Matthew must have experienced the meaninglessness of accumulating riches, exploiting others, etc. He must also have resolved to amend his ways after listening to Jesus preach. The world and all its allurements cannot satisfy man. Only Jesus, Son of God and saviour of the world, can.
Do we believe this? Have you finally realized this? If you are still thinking that the world can give you happiness, true happiness, Jesus is coming to you and inviting you to change your mentality. Do not be like the Pharisees who were self-righteous and who looked down on others. Jesus is willing to dine with us even if we are sinners. Are we interested in dining with him or do we prefer the company of the devil?
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