“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 5:27-32
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Jesus gives us an example of dying to self today. For me, it is my natural inclination to push someone who is different from me away or to try and avoid a person who does not look good in appearance (homeless, poor). He wants us to love the unlovable. Wow! This is extremely difficult, impossible for humans.
With God’s grace, we are reminded that we too are sinners who are forgiven by God. God sees all of us on a level playing field as sinners. We label each other as many other things. We are called to forgive as the heavenly Father forgives us.
We are called to be poor in some area of our life during Lent, so that we may have a big heart for those who are poor and share our blessings with them (corporal works of mercy). When helping the poor or homeless, God wants us to be safe. We are not to walk right into harms way and give up our life in an unintelligent way, that would be against God’s will. We will have to enter into an area of the city that will make us uncomfortable. This is where God dwells, this is where the Catholic Church was established.
We are called to admonish the sinner if our friends are going in the wrong direction and sinning. If this friend continues to choose the wrong path, it is not against God’s will for us to break off a friendship that we have tried to forgive, heal, and help a person. Love the sinner, not the sin. If that person chooses to sin, we are not called to sin with them.
Jesus has come to sit with the sinners because once a sinner has lost everything and is at the bottom, whether it is a good run of bad luck or by choice, He never abandons. He is ready and faithful waiting for the sinner at the very bottom to say yes (Prodigal Son).
God is love straight through, He cannot not love. No matter how many times you sin or how big the sin is God will never abandon you. Imagine a person who hurts you over and over in small (venial) and sometimes really big (mortal) ways. Over and over their whole life, they keep hurting you. Then, you give up your life, your blood, to atone for all of their wrongdoing against you. Who would do such a thing?
This is the most radical love in the universe, it is unfair, it doesn’t make sense. This is the love of our heavenly Father who is madly in love with His creation. He is always chasing after us. He can’t help us if we don’t surrender and give Him our sin and our brokenness.
Every person has a story, each life is different, all of us have chosen to sin against God. Sin can be defined as, “I don’t care God, I’m going to do it anyway”. There are greater sin than others that carry greater consequences. This is to protect people from harm and keep them safe. God’s greatest gift, forgiveness through His grace, repairs what has been damaged.
It repairs the lives that have been ruined or destroyed including in some cases their own through drug and alcohol addictions. In many cases, people at the bottom were never loved and missed how relationships work. God is amazing! Jesus came to rescue all sinners.
I pray for those who imitate Jesus in prison ministry, those helping prostitutes and fighting the pornography industry, families dealing with someone suffering from addiction, and walk with the homeless in the streets to help them get their lives back on track.
“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.”
I am a sinner. I have led others to sin. I fail in not labeling or judging others, gossip, comparison, pride, and revenge on a daily basis. Jesus, please forgive me and lead me to love the unlovable like you did.
Today’s challenge: Support charities who are legitimately helping those in the greatest need or who are forgotten in our society by doing a corporal work of mercy this Lent. Don’t just throw money at something, but take clothes, food, or items people need to a charity and bring your children so that they will grow up and do the same. Do it for love of God and those in need, not for self accomplishment for Lent (have your heart in the right place). Don’t overlook the people right next to you in need. A family member, a neighbor, a co- worker. Love and forgive as God loves and forgives us.
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YOLO
Of all people, Jesus picked Matthew. He was one of the most frowned upon people because he was a tax collector. This shows that Jesus wants people to follow Him that want and need to be saved, not those who think they have saved themselves. We often feel that if we just have that one more thing then we will be happy. On the contrary, we may also think that not having everything in the world disable us in today’s society. We must look past the clouded thoughts of society, lift up our cross, and follow Him. That is the happiness we are all searching for. Many of us, including myself, find that to be one of the hardest things to do in the world. And we fail over and over again. But we must press on as soldiers in the Lord’s army.
Jesus said, “Those who are not sick do not need a physician, but those who are do.” Jesus is the teacher! We should let him teach us how to be a physician for the sick, that we may heal them and comfort them. Turn to Jesus, let him be your teacher.