Saturday, March 5, 2022—Saturday after the ashes—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, saith the Lord. Let him turn from his way, and live — Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5, 27-32

The Gospel tells us of the encounter between Levi, a publican, and Jesus who called the latter to follow him. Without hesitation, he left everything and began to follow him and became a zealous disciple whose writings have come down to us: the Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

The lesson that Jesus wants to impart is, all of us are sinners in the eyes of God. He knows how to probe and knows the bottom of each heart. In our state of disgrace, God came among us and called us to himself. Also, let us be careful not to obstruct, by presuming from his past, any person wishing to approach God in all sincerity. Let us remember that God knows everything and knows how to change hearts.

Avoid grumbling, like the Pharisees, when seeing someone adopt a new life by taking the path of conversion. On the contrary, it should make us happy. We cannot judge the future of others, that is up to God alone. The one and only thing we can do is help each other have faith in his grace that keeps changing us every day of our lives. Lent is the opportune moment to become aware of all that prevents our heart from following Christ.