Reading 1
Is 58:9b-14
Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined homesteads.”
If you hold back your foot on the sabbath
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with maliceB
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Responsorial PsalmR. (11ab)
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Gospel
Lk 5:27-32
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
Meditation: Luke 5:27-32
” Those who are healthy do not need a physician.” (Luke 5:31)
Imagine if a doctor set up a clinic in your town to treat a particularly elusive form of cancer. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the people who had this specific illness didn’t know they were affected and so never took advantage of the help that was just around the corner? Maybe they saw a few warning signs but dismissed them as minor ailments and never took the time to have themselves checked out more thoroughly. Or maybe they suspected all along that something was wrong, but they just didn’t want to face the possibility of a medical crisis. How sad that would be!
It’s a normal human tendency to avoid bad news and to gloss over potential problems. That’s probably what the Pharisees and scribes were doing in today’s Gospel reading. Yes, there were the known sinners like the prostitutes and tax collectors who were friends with Levi. But these religious experts were doing just fine. By all outward appearances, they were completely healthy. So why should they listen to Jesus?
Don’t make the same mistake! It’s never a bad idea to take a close look at your life to see if there are any “sicknesses” lurking somewhere in the shadows. To avoid the temptation to become too introspective, try to limit yourself to two areas that are common causes of spiritual ailments. First, take a look to see if any past hurts are lingering in your memory, keeping you bound up in anger, resentment, or lack of forgiveness. And second, ask yourself if there are any fears, anxieties, or doubts that are clouding your heart and robbing you of the joy of being close to the Lord.
If you see either of these forces in you, don’t waste any time. Call out to Jesus, the master physician, and ask him to help you! Like the doctor opening up a new clinic, he is offering you something dramatic, something that just may save your life. All it takes is a little humility to ask him for a checkup. Who knows what healing he may have in store for you?
“Jesus, I come to you now and ask you to free me from all bitterness and all anxiety. Lord, I trust in your mercy, your love, and your power to heal.”
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