SATURDAY JANUARY 13, 2024
SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
1 Samuel 9:1-4. 17-19; 10:1
Mark 2:13-17
JESUS ACCOMMODATING AND ASSOCIATING WITH SINNERS
The mark of a matured and sacrificial personality is to absolve people of their faults and misgivings and to excuse their failings and accommodate them into our lives with the sole intention of charting the way for better life for them without loosing heart and being drawn away.
Jesus was very ready to go all the way to bring back straying persons and establish them in the right ways of our loving God. Today’s gospel narrates how he invited Levi, the tax collector into his mission of saving souls. He did not invite other persons who are pure, complete, and saintly, rather Jesus goes ahead to look out for and invite into his mission those who are with faults, those rejected by the society for their sinfulness, those who were presumably on the road of perdition, to rescue, to redeem, to ransom and to seek out so that they may be saved and gain life again.
That is the mission of Jesus – the mission of saving souls. And he did that with Levi and then even invited Levi’s friends, whom the scripture says were sinners. Jesus dines with them, stays in their company and preaches to them. The point is that he accommodated them, he invited them, he stays with them and Jesus even went ahead, when he was accused of this behavior and attitude, defended his stands and tells the whole world that only the sinner needs his compassion and love which he came to give. That only the sick needs the doctor not the healthy.
Jesus teaches us the act of accommodating others into our lives and never condemning them. The act of showing compassion and not just judging others. Jesus teaches us the virtue of seeking out the lost to redeem them, to help them and to teach them the way and not just throwing stone at them and forgetting them.
The basic fact remains that all human beings are plagued with same situation of sinfulness. We have all sinned and continue to sin. We do not encourage ourselves to continue in sin rather we help ourselves to overcome sin and sinful habits and desires. There is no need to reject ourselves, or become overly overbearing to others. Even when we are sometimes irritated, abused and insulted by others, there is always a way out to offer help for salvation, to lead others to Christ, to teach them and associate with others with the sole aim of helping their situation and condition of sinfulness.
Even when the people of Israel rejected God as their ruler and guide in life and opted for a human leadership, God still went ahead to look for that leader for them and anointed Saul, king over Israel. He did not reject them totally even though they rejected him. God seeks our good and wellbeing. He accommodates us, forgives us, respects our freedom and allows our shortsightedness with the aim of leading us and guiding us.
We are also taught the virtues of always seeing beyond the ordinary, the sinfulness of others, the waywardness of our fellow human beings and seek more of their good and wellbeing as Jesus did and try to draw them away from sin and lead them to life of righteousness and peace and progress with God as their leader.
Our loving and provident Father, you never abandons us in our sinfulness and waywardness, rather you came to redeem, to save and to restore us back to you in Jesus Christ. We thank you for accepting us and staying with us in spite of our sinfulness. Forgive our failings and sinfulness. Help us also to accommodate others who come into our lives. May we never judge, condemn or reject them. Give us your heart of love and mercy to seek their good and salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
