13th Week of Ordinary Time
July
5, 2018
Matt
9: 9-11Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“I did not
come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matt 9: 13).
If this
short scene in the gospels wasn’t already well known, it certainly became so
when Francis was elected Pope and highlighted it thru his episcopal motto, Miserando atque eligendo, which he swiped from St. Bede’s homily (Hom. 21)
on this gospel passage: “Vidit ergo Iesus publicanum et quia miserando atque eligendo vidit, ait
illi, ‘Sequere me’”—“So
Jesus saw the publican and, because he had compassion on him and chose him, he
said to him, ‘Follow me.’”
Francis also
cited Caravaggio’s masterful painting of the scene, in which bystanders join
Jesus in pointing to youthful Matthew, who’s anything but thrilled; he hangs
his head over his pile of coins on the table.
He’s hardly excited about being chosen and invited to follow Jesus. But that matters not to Jesus, who’s chosen
him for a share in his divine mercy.
In the
gospel, tho, Matthew seems to have been glad to be chosen, glad to be offered
an opportunity to be with Jesus; for he throws a party for his friends to come
and be with Jesus as well. Shades of
Bartholomew Garelli bringing his friends to meet Don Bosco, who likewise had
compassion and chose those in need of divine mercy.
We who are
sinners, who know we’re not righteous by our own standing but only by virtue of
Jesus’ call, we rejoice—and we come to table with Jesus at this party he offers
us, rather than the other way around.
Sure, we bring a little bread and a little wine, and our sinful
selves. But he provides the feast,
transforming our bread and wine—and us, as well.
Thank God that Jesus has looked upon
us with his compassion and chosen us, as he did Matthew.
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