SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - Gospel (Luke 5:27-32) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” (Lk 5:31-32)

FIRST READING - Isaiah 58:9b-14

A reading from the Book of Isaiah

Thus says the LORD:

If you remove from your midst oppression,

false accusation and malicious speech;

If you bestow your bread on the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted;

Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,

and the gloom shall become for you like midday;

Then the LORD will guide you always

and give you plenty even on the parched land.

He will renew your strength,

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring whose water never fails.

The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,

and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;

""Repairer of the breach,"" they shall call you,

""Restorer of ruined homesteads.""

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath

from following your own pursuits on my holy day;

If you call the sabbath a delight,

and the LORD's holy day honorable;

If you honor it by not following your ways,

seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--

Then you shall delight in the LORD,

and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Luke 5:27-32

From the Gospel according to Luke

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.

He said to him, "Follow me."

And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,

and a large crowd of tax collectors

and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,

"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus said to them in reply,

"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.

I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."

SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - Gospel (Luke 5:27-32)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today’s Word of God, God lets everyone know that the purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth to become a human, die, and rise again is to save all mankind. God's love for mankind is boundless. He makes no distinction because, before God, everyone is a sinner; no one is righteous.

Today's Word of God reveals that Jesus comes to all members of the Church and society. Each person, including sinners, is called and given a different vocation by God.

God places every person in a position so that we have the opportunity to repent and return to Him. However, our hearts are full of pride, jealousy, and judgment. We consider ourselves holy and righteous before God, like the Pharisees and scribes in today's Gospel. Thus, their question reveals a distinction: '"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"' This question comes from arrogant people who consider themselves righteous before God and regard themselves as holy and sinless.

Therefore, Jesus taught them a lesson that He came to earth not to call the righteous, but to call sinners and help the sick return to God.

Jesus' teachings for everyone, both in the past and present are:

-To acknowledge that you are a sinner before God, recognize your mistakes, and repent before God,

Knowing how to live humbly, lovingly, and forgivingly.

-Learn and follow Jesus' example of loving everyone, without distinction between holy and sinful people.

To have eternal happiness in the future, we must run to God's mercy, plead with Him to have mercy on our souls, heal us, and forgive our sins, so that we may repent and return to Him.

God always loves humanity; therefore, He always accompanies and teaches us in all places and at all times. But today, we ignore God's Word and follow Satan's arrogance, thinking ourselves holy and righteous, always being jealous and judging others, and defining one as sinful while judging another as holy.

God is not happy when we have such bad thoughts. Therefore, today, God wants everyone to repent of our sins and wholeheartedly love and help our fellow human beings return to God, the Father who is rich in mercy.

Thanks be to God. Amen.