I did not come to call the righteous but sinners

5 JULY (Mt 9,9-13)

The Lord speaks, but man does not pay any attention. The Lord reveals his heart full of mercy, compassion, piety, but man perseveres in his ways. God proclaims forgiveness after sin, but man does not want the sinner to be forgiven.

Thus the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, what is the meaning of this proverb that you recite in the land of Israel: “Fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children’s teeth are on edge”? As I live, says the Lord God: I swear that there shall no longer be anyone among you who will repeat this proverb in Israel. For all lives are mine; the life of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall die. If a man is virtuous – if he does what is right and just, if he does not eat on the mountains, nor raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; if he does not defile his neighbor’s wife, nor have relations with a woman in her menstrual period; if he oppresses no one, gives back the pledge received for a debt, commits no robbery; if he gives food to the hungry and clothes the naked; if he does not lend at interest nor exact usury; if he holds off from evildoing, judges fairly between a man and his opponent; if he lives by my statutes and is careful to observe my ordinances, that man is virtuous – he shall surely live, says the Lord God. But if he begets a son who is a thief, a murderer, or who does any of these things (though the father does none of them), a son who eats on the mountains, defiles the wife of his neighbor, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not give back a pledge, raises his eyes to idols, does abominable things, lends at interest and exacts usury – this son certainly shall not live. Because he practiced all these abominations, he shall surely die; his death shall be his own fault. On the other hand, if a man begets a son who, seeing all the sins his father commits, yet fears and does not imitate him; a son who does not eat on the mountains, or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife; who does not oppress anyone, or exact a pledge, or commit robbery; who gives his food to the hungry and clothes the naked; who holds off from evildoing, accepts no interest or usury, but keeps my ordinances and lives by my statutes – this one shall not die for the sins of his father, but shall surely live. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live? And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. Turn and be converted from all your crimes, that they may be no cause of guilt for you. Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord God. Return and live! (Cf. Ez 18,1-32).

It is as if we lived in two, separate, distinct worlds, far from each other more than the east from the west. Like walking to the east or west, you can never arrive to the opposite side, because you always walk towards the east or the west, so is a man with his God. He always walks with his thoughts and never might he reach the thoughts of God. This distance must be filled. Man needs only the thoughts of God.

As Jesus passed on from there, 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.”

Jesus comes to fill every gap between man and his God. He reveals man the great mercy of the Father. Who is the one to oppose himself to this mercy? Man. He is the one who does not want the sinner to be forgiven, saved and redeemed. Man is the spiritual killer of his brothers. Man is the greatest enemy of man, because he does not help him to get into the heart of God. Rather he turns him away from the heart of God with his alleged faith.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us friends of men.