Word to the Wise
Friday, July 6, 2007 - Thirteenth Friday in Ordinary Time
[Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 and Matthew 9:9-13]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.
One of the persistent characteristics of Jesus' ministry was his outreach to people who were regarded as unacceptable by Jewish religious authorities, particularly the scribes and Pharisees. To sit down at table with such "tax collectors and sinners" was a major scandal to the Pharisees. It was a sign that Jesus considered such people as his social equals! When criticized for doing this, Jesus utters the words quoted above. Given this clear example, one wonders why any Christian can accept the kind of exclusionary discrimination that often appears in various social contexts: race, gender, economic attainment, sexual orientation. It is as if Jesus wouldn't have anything to do with those against whom such discrimination is practiced. And, truth be known, this attitude is not the exclusive possession of those who are wealthy and powerful! The judgment is all too easily reached, "Why don't they stick to their own kind?" Or the process of stereotyping enters in and entire "classes" of people are judged to be unacceptable or "sinners." In this way, mercy is entirely excluded by rich and poor alike because of blind prejudice. If Jesus came to call sinners, and we, as the Body of Christ are called to continue Jesus' ministry, how can we allow ourselves to avoid sinners in some kind of "righteous" snobbery? I don't know. It is a question that I have to ask myself as part of my own examination of conscience. There has to be integrity between my serving someone in the Sacrament of Reconciliation - the act of Jesus' mercy - and my OWN personal service in mercy. Looking for that integrity of personal faith and mercy toward those who are truly in need of mercy will bring us closer to being true disciples. AMEN
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