IRRESISTIBLE GRACE OF GOD
A thirst for true and lasting friendship with God is what we all need in our lives.
In the Responsorial Psalm we acclaim, "Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. Their message goes out through all the earth" (Ps 19:3,5). God will never fail us. That is the secret of the stars. The hand that guides eternally through uncharted paths, guides all of us, if we let God in. Let us look at the heavens and take courage. God is behind and in front of His creation.
Jesus taught us to pray to our heavenly Father: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This is the prayer we pray daily. To know that we have the freedom that the sun and the moon do not have: to choose our direction and to stay or stray from our path. So we ask our heavenly Father to handle us gently, nudging us into position, to nurse us along our orbit in order that we may pray and act in faith.
St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians exhorts the people to live in a manner worthy of the call to receive life in Christ Jesus. They are being "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" (Eph 4:4b-6). By calling Matthew, whom the Church honors today, to be one of His disciples, Jesus picks one of the most unlikely people - a tax collector who by profession was despised by his own people.
What did Matthew see in Jesus that made him instantly respond to His words, "Follow Me" (Mt 9:9), leaving everything, including his friends and occupation, to follow Jesus? Matthew's heart was undoubtedly touched by the irresistible grace of God and a gentle nudge onto the right path! He saw in Jesus the hope of true friendship and peace with God. In due time, Matthew would reach out to others like himself and invite them to follow the Lord Jesus as fellow disciples and friends of God. A thirst for true and lasting friendship with God is what we all need in our lives.
Are we ready to reach outside of our circle of close friends in order to help others come to know the mercy and kindness of God? In today's Gospel, the Pharisees challenge Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners. Nevertheless, Jesus' defense is quite simple, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do" (Mt 9:12). Jesus, likewise, sought out those with the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind and spirit. Jesus comes as the Divine Physician and Good Shepherd, caring for His people and restoring them to wholeness of life.
Do you and I thank God for the great mercy He has shown to us? Ask the Lord to flood our hearts with His love and mercy for all!