Saturday, January 18, 2020 — First week of Ordinary time — Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark 2, 13-17 — Do not harden your heart today, but listen to the voice of the Lord.
The Gospel today tells about the call of Jesus of the fifth disciple: Levi,son of Alphaeus, Matthew has been called Levi, a publican, is regarded by the society as a sinner because he was a tax collector for the Roman invaders. But the slander about this man doesn't stop Jesus from calling him, and neither did he, without the slightest hesitation, quit his job and followed him. Jesus never discriminates nor excludes the others, He loves all man.
To share a meal is to share joy, to share life. Jesus ate with Levi and many other sinners. He shared our human condition. He put no distance between sinners and Him. Perplexed, the scribes and Pharisees asked, "Why do your teachers eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus' answer is: "It's not the healthy people who need the doctor, but the sick people. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." His words are clear and unequivocal, and they bring hope and peace to those who listen. Despite our sins and weaknesses, let us not be plunged into despair.
Therefore, we can repeat those words of Jesus to support those around us who are discouraged because of the weakness we and our friends face.
