Sat with Jesus and his disciples

Eph 4,1-7.11-13; Ps 18; Mt 9,9-13
21 SEPTEMBER

Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. He came to take upon himself all the sins of the world and expiate them in his body on the cross. This truth is announced by St. Paul in the Letter to the Colossians. Jesus removed the document that testified against us.

For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it (Col 2,9-15).

Why does Jesus not take advantage of the comfort of the prophet Isaiah, as he addresses the prophet Hosea? If Jesus had cited Isaiah, his speech would have been incomprehensible. The Song of Isaiah was at that time difficult to interpret. While the prophecy drawn from Hosea reveals an absolute truth not linked to the person. What good is it to offer the Lord a fat victim on his altar, if his children then, are not loved according to his law of love? What is the use of being called children of the religion of God if they do not help one another to know the Lord? Who is the Lord? He who from the first day of creation has always gone to seek the sinful man. But even from the days of Abraham he always went to seek his people to lead it to his love, to his truth, to his freedom and to his peace. Never might a child act differently than the Father. The Father seeks sinners and forgives them, even the child must seek them and forgive them.

“Come, let us return to the Lord, For it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence. Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth; For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. But they, in their land, violated the covenant; there they were untrue to me. Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood. As brigands ambush a man, a band of priests slay on the way to Shechem, committing monstrous crime. In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled. For you also, O Judah, a harvest has been appointed (Hos 6,1-11).

Not only does Jesus seek sinners, he transforms them into his missionaries, creates them seekers of all the sinners of this world to offer them reconciliation, forgiveness and the peace of their God and Lord, Creator and Father. When is a Christian true Christian? When he too, according to the sacramental mission received, seeks sinners to bring them to Christ.

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.”

From Christ Jesus we must learn to transform every sinner into a great missionary of Lord Jesus. Never might this happen if we as Pharisees and scribes shut ourselves up in our false justice and despise sin. Loving is seeking.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us true missionaries. Help us to seek in order to transform.