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First reading Isaiah 58:9-14
You will be like a spring whose waters never run dry
The Lord says this:
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
build up on the old foundations.
You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,
‘Restorer of ruined houses.’
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Responsorial Psalm 85(86):1-6
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Gospel Luke 5:27-32
Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance
Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’
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Who are we to judge?
In Jesus’ time, tax collectors were regarded by the rest of the Jews as public sinners. In today’s gospel, Jesus noticed Levi and saw Him, not just as a hopeless sinner, but His potential disciple. In fact, this is the reason why Jesus came and lived as a human person. He came not to judge and condemn but to forgive and love.
In this journey of Lent, Jesus calls us to join Him to partake in His mission and reach out to the present-day Levis. Who are they? They are the outcasts and marginalised ones in our personal lives and society. Due to their failures, we tend to look upon them with dread. Let us remember that Jesus never stops drawing close to us, even when we are sinners. Who are we then to put distance between ourselves and others? All of us are sinners in need of God’s merciful love. Today, let us experience ourselves loved and called by Jesus first so that we can go out and be part of His mission of love.
Question for reflection:
Do I struggle with being self-righteous and judgmental towards others whom I consider sinners?
Do I struggle with being self-righteous and judgmental towards others whom I consider sinners?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
