Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do

6 JULY (Mt 9,9-13)

The sacrifice to be offered to God is forgiveness, compassion, mercy, piety, almsgiving, acceptance of the poor, needy, sinner, miserable, weak, fragile, naked, thirsty, hungry, stranger, prisoner, and pilgrim. This is the true sacrifice pleasing to God, the true religion that we must always practice. This is the feast to be celebrated in honor of the Lord: lifting the poor and needy. So Amos: “For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me, that you may live, but do not seek Bethel; Do not come to Gilgal, and do not cross to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal shall be led into exile, and Bethel shall become nought. Seek the Lord, that you may live, lest he come upon the house of Joseph like a fire That shall consume, with none to quench it for the house of Israel: Woe to those who turn judgment to wormwood and cast justice to the ground! They hate him who reproves at the gate and abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore, because you have trampled upon the weak and exacted of them levies of grain, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, you shall not live in them! Though you have planted choice vineyards, you shall not drink their wine! Yes, I know how many are your crimes, how grievous your sins: Oppressing the just, accepting bribes, repelling the needy at the gate! Therefore the prudent man is silent at this time, for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim! Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph. (Cf. Am 5,1-27).

The same truth is taught us by the prophet Hosea. The Lord does not love the magnificent cult that serves to conceal selfishness, hypocrisy, transgression of the commandm

ents, the absence of any compassion and mercy, piety and benevolence towards the poorest of the country.
“Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is his coming. 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).

Jesus attests his great love for sinners, which is forgiveness, reconciliation, conversion, repentance, return to the house of the Father, obedience to his commandments. The Pharisees are scandalized and accuse him of complicity with the world of evil. Evil for them is the help given to sinners to be converted and live. Evil is working for the return into the will of God of those who have been so far off. Evil is preaching the Gospel to those who do not know it and live on the fringes of legality.

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.”

The Pharisees live a holiness without man and this is the worst of holiness; for it is a holiness without the truth of God, his mercy, his infinite truth, his forgiveness, his grace, and the possibility of every man to be welcomed by the love of his Father in heaven. It is a holiness of hypocrites and whitewashed sepulchres.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption; Angels, and Saints give us true holiness.