Homily: Saturday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time - "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners"

In today’s first reading, the prophet Samuel is sent by the Lord to find and anoint Saul as leader of God’s people.  Before anointing him, Samuel sits down to share a meal with Saul.  Over the meal, Samuel tells Saul what the Lord expects of him: to be a good, just, and faithful commander and leader of God’s people.  Samuel kisses him, and anoints him.

In today’s Gospel, we hear a very similar story.  Jesus approaches Levi, a tax-collector.  A jew who, in the eyes of his fellow Jews was collaborating with the enemy, collecting taxes for the enemy Roman occupying force.  People are surprised when the Lord calls this man, a sinner to follow him—they are more surprised when the Lord goes to his house and shares a meal with him, and other tax collectors and sinners. 

Saul and Levi had many similarities.  Both were wealthy men.  Levi may have not been as powerful as Saul, but compared to his fellow Jews, he had much more political influence.  Both were called and anointed for the Lord’s work.  However their lives would end quite differently.  Levi, also known as Matthew, would spend his life in the Lord’s service and die a martyr’s death, glorifying the Lord.  Saul, on the other hand, would become trapped in self-hatred, envy, violence, the occult, and like Judas Iscariot takes his own life. 

Saul fails over and over again to entrust himself to the Lord, to admit his wickedness, and his life ends tragically.  Levi, repents of his wickedness, and his life ends in glory.

The stories of our lives are not much different.  The Lord calls us from a former way of life, fallen habits, attitudes, and behaviors, to repentance and to the embrace of a new way of life.

If we come to Church, if we come to Mass without acknowledging those areas of our life in which we need to change, in which we need to converted, in which we fall short of Gospel living, then we come to this meal in vain.

I heard an insightful saying this week, “Not going to church because it is full of hypocrites and sinners is like not going to the gym because it is full of people who are out of shape.”

Jesus came and established his church not for those who claim already to be saints, but who acknowledge 

their sinfulness and come to Jesus seeking help. The Church is like a hospital, precisely for people who acknowledge they are sick.

We acknowledge that we DO need help; we need the help of the sacraments, we need the help of God’s word, we need the help and prayers of fellow Christians in being more faithful.

Through humble examination of our life and actions in light of the Faith, may we come to repentance for our sins, and with firm amendment to change our lives, conforms ourselves in all things to Jesus Christ.  For the glory of God and salvation of souls.