Reading 1
Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
Responsorial
Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Gospel
Mt 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
Meditation: Matthew 9:9-13
St. Matthew
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. (Matthew 9:13)
You can probably come up with your own list of careers with bad reputations, but if you were a Jew in Matthew’s day, tax collector would be near the top. They were notorious for overcharging people on their taxes, and pocketing the difference. If Jesus came to call sinners, then Matthew definitely qualified! Among the twelve, he likely had the roughest past. You can just imagine him presiding over rowdy parties, enjoying the money he had extorted from other people, and exercising his office as tax gatherer with the callous disregard for his fellow Jews that comes from a hardened, selfish heart.
But when Jesus called, Matthew rose and followed. He left his old ways far behind, becoming one of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples. What a turnaround! He even became so open to the Spirit that his Gospel bears the seal of divine inspiration, and he was martyred for his faith in the One who had called him so many years earlier. Matthew is an example of a dramatic conversion.
Let’s take today’s Gospel reading as an invitation to pray for dramatic conversions—just like Matthew’s. And to help us, let’s do something practical. Try to put together a list of five names of people you know who need a turnaround, and devote a portion of your daily prayer for the next few months to praying for them. Your intercession doesn’t have to be lengthy or elegant. Simply releasing these people into God’s hands is all you need to do. Know that your prayers will help prepare their hearts to hear the gospel—maybe even from you. Persevere in prayer. Don’t lose hope. It is very possible that you will see firsthand some dramatic conversions!
You don’t have to be alone as you pray for these people, either. Visit our Web site at wau.org, and send us your prayer intentions so that we can join you in your intercession. And be sure to send any conversion stories, too!
“Lord, I trust that you hear my prayers for the lost and that you are working to bring them into your kingdom. Come quickly into the lives of those I pray for!”
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