The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our generosity toward others and our openness to Jesus’ call to join in His mission.
Follow Me
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes Sarah’s death, burial, and the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.
* [23:1–20] The occasion for purchasing the land is the need for a burial site for Sarah, for it would be unthinkable to bury Sarah outside of the promised land. One of the two great promises to Abraham, that of progeny, has been fulfilled (21:1–7). And now the promise of land is to be fulfilled, through a kind of down payment on the full possession that will take place only with the conquest under Joshua and during the reign of David. This purchase has been prepared for by Abimelech’s recognition of Abraham’s claim to the well at Beer-sheba (21:22–34). Among the ancestral stories this narrative is one of two that are entirely from the P source (chap. 17 being the other). The Priestly writers may have intended to encourage the generation of the exile to a renewed hope of repossessing their land. * [24:58] Marriages arranged by the woman’s father did not require the woman’s consent, but marriages arranged by the woman’s brother did. Laban is the brother and Rebekah is therefore free to give her consent or not.1
Psalm 106 is a confession of Israel’s sins.
* [Psalm 106] Israel is invited to praise the God whose mercy has always tempered judgment of Israel (Ps 106:1–3). The speaker, on behalf of all, seeks solidarity with the people, who can always count on God’s fidelity despite their sin (Ps 106:4–5). Confident of God’s mercy, the speaker invites national repentance (Ps 106:6) by reciting from Israel’s history eight instances of sin, judgment, and forgiveness.2
The Gospel of Matthew describes Jesus calling the tax collector, Matthew.
* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity.3
Carol Zuegner comments that Jesus reached out to the tax collectors and sinners. He and his disciples ate with them, causing the Pharisees to question the disciples. Life must have been seemingly easier for the Pharisees to be so ready to judge who is a sinner.
None of us is without sin. So it is comforting to hear Jesus’s words: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He came to call the sinners, all of us. He will always choose us and we have to take the step to follow. The path is not an easy one. My own path is full of detours and stops and starts. But Jesus will continue to say: Follow me. I know I am flawed and a sinner, but Jesus sees me, sees the good in me. When I heed that call, I know I can do better and be better.4
Don Schwager quotes “Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus”, by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 imagines the response of a tax collector to Jesus' presence with them.
Jesus was willing to be present in an unlikely place so that the light of his presence would shine. He was willing to bring the good news wherever he went. You can do the same thing, whether you are at a party, at work or school, or at the laundromat. If you are present—attentive, loving, and ready—you can bring the gospel no matter where you go. Who knows what God might do? “Jesus, I want to bring the good news with me wherever I am.”6
Friar Jude Winkler discusses how Abraham comes to possess his only land, a burial place for Sarah. Rebekah, matriarch of Israel, is a very generous woman. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' example of addressing the needs of people with mercy.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we cannot begin the journey on a negative or problem-solving note like “sin management.” It all begins with an experience of chosenness, just as in marriage and friendship.
The paradox is that God’s chosenness is for the sake of communicating chosenness to everybody else! As in the Jonah story, this often takes people a long time to learn. Here is the principle: We can only transform people to the degree that we have been transformed. We can only lead others as far as we ourselves have gone. We have no ability to affirm or to communicate to another person that they are good or special until we know it strongly ourselves. Once we get our own “narcissistic fix,” as I call it, then we can stop worrying about being center stage. We then have plenty of time and energy to promote other people’s empowerment and specialness. Only beloved people can pass on belovedness.7
We meditate on our chosenness as we practice mercy and generosity to others.
References
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