Word to the Wise
Saturday, January 18, 2020 - Saturday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 and Mark 2:13-17]Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed Jesus. White he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus heard this and said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." [Mark]
JANUARY 18 ST. MARGARET OF HUNGARY, o.p.
The lines of conflict between Jesus and his adversaries are drawn early in the Gospel According to Mark. In the very first chapter Jesus cures a demoniac in the synagogue on the sabbath. That would have been a "no-no" to the scribes and Pharisees because healing was considered "work." In today's gospel passage, Jesus associates himself with people who were considered "unclean" by the scribes and Pharisees: tax collectors and "sinners" (which could have meant anyone in a trade that required touching forbidden items like tanners or tax collectors (who touched Roman money with an idolatrous image of Caesar on it.) Their criticism reaches Jesus' ears and he replies with the words quoted above.
I could not help but think of Pope Francis and his critics when reflecting on this gospel scene. At his first celebration of the Holy Thursday ritual of washing the feet, he included women and a non-Christian!! In his inaugural encyclical, THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL (Evangelii gaudium) he referred to the Church as a "field hospital for the sick and wounded" and not a club for the elite. This did not sit well with those whose vision of the Church is anything but what Pope Francis envisions. His documents, Amoris laetitia (on marriage and family life) and Laudato si! (on the environment) have been severely criticized by certain very loud and well-heeled elements in the Church.
The scribes and Pharisees could be well-intentioned at times, but those who actively opposed Jesus were spiteful and dangerous. The Gospel According to Mark will show us many instances of the growing tension between Jesus and the "righteous" folks who very early on decided they would get rid of him. [Mark 3:6] The media (whether printed, visual or electronic) are filled with stories of this conflict. If we keep our attention focused, instead, on the gospel and the example of Jesus, the teachings and actions of Pope Francis will make eminent good sense! AMEN