Matthew, apostle and evangelist

1st Reading: Eph 4:1–7, 11–13
Gospel: Mt 9:9–13
As Jesus moved on, he saw a man named Matthew at his seat in the custom-house, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him. Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and other sinners joined Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why is it that your master eats with those sinners and tax collectors?”
When Jesus heard this he said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Commentary
Today, Jesus reminds us that we should need to be merciful towards those, who do not share our religious devotion or the intricacies of our faith. We don’t reflect God’s wishes when we demand that others give up things that we think are incompatible with Christianity, like their own particular form of sexuality. Why should we demand celibacy of others, just because they do not live up to our view of what is normal? Is it possible for anyone to deny their human nature? And is this a sacrifice demanded of them, when it is quite plain that God does not want sacrifices, but mercy?
It is easy for us to implore God to be merciful to us, but not to be merciful towards others; or to neglect the fact that we are merciless towards others. Lack of mercy, dressed up in the guise of orthodoxy, is no less merciless. God desires us to be merciful, not orthodox. So today’s words remind us to be merciful towards those, who are, perhaps, unable to live up to our level of religious devotion and intricacies of our faith. God doesn’t ask us to sacrifice anything, except our lack of mercy towards others.

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