Blessing and Blame

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to reject our human attitudes of entitlement and victim blaming as we serve broken people with care and compassion.

Blessing without Blame

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims Authentic Sabbath Observance That Leads to Blessing.

* [58:6–12] Fasting is not genuine without reforming one’s way of life. A true social morality will ensure prosperity.

* [58:13–14] Sabbath observance becomes a cornerstone of postexilic piety; cf. 56:2, 4, 6. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 86 presents an individual lament desiring God’s protection.

* [Psalm 86] An individual lament. The psalmist, “poor and oppressed” (Ps 86:1), “devoted” (Ps 86:2), “your servant” (Ps 86:2, 4, 16), “rescued from the depths of Sheol” (Ps 86:13), attacked by the ruthless (Ps 86:14), desires only God’s protection (Ps 86:1–7, 11–17). (Psalms, PSALM 86 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims The Call of Levi.

* [5:17–6:11] From his Marcan source, Luke now introduces a series of controversies with Pharisees: controversy over Jesus’ power to forgive sins (Lk 5:17–26); controversy over his eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners (Lk 5:27–32); controversy over not fasting (Lk 5:33–36); and finally two episodes narrating controversies over observance of the sabbath (Lk 6:1–11). (Luke, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu reminds us that Jesus' purpose is to meet us in our brokenness: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mercy is placed above judgment, just as God proclaimed through Isaiah. 

So, who are the Levis in our lives? Where does suspicion or self-righteousness still keep us from extending God’s love?

Despite our best intentions as children of God, many of us have an unconscious tendency towards selective compassion. Often, we divide the world into categories: “us” and “them,” “righteous” and “sinner,” “deserving” and “undeserving.” We might not name these divisions out loud, but our actions often speak for us —through whom we help, whom we welcome, or whom we avoid. It is comforting to believe that the table of God’s love is wide, and that all we need to do is come hungry, recognizing that it is not just the “other” who needs this radical inclusivity—we need it too. (Amu, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Our All-powerful Physician, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD

"Our wound is serious, but the Physician is all-powerful. Does it seem to you so small a mercy that, while you were living in evil and sinning, he did not take away your life, but brought you to belief and forgave your sins? What I suffer is serious, but I trust the Almighty. I would despair of my mortal wound if I had not found so great a Physician." (excerpt from Sermon 352, 3) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Third Isaiah the people are complaining that they have not seen the restoration promised in Second Isaiah. They faced hardships and they performed religious deeds but only superficially. The text exhorts them to reach out and keep the Sabbath as a holy day. “I get to go to Mass because I want to” We sometimes say Mass is portrayed as an obligation, but Mass is a privilege. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus reaches out to the anawim and in this case to the tax collector, Levi, working for Rome, thought to be a collaborator and the taxation method was an incentive for dishonesty. The Pharisees were concerned their sinfulness was a contagion but Jesus sees their brokenness and Jesus chooses to help and even if “they brought it upon themselves”. Friar Jude reminds us that “bringing it upon themselves” does not exclude them from Jesus' love or from our mission to address their brokenness.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 58:9-14 comments that the biblical word for this kind of contract is “covenant,” and it is much more than a business agreement. At the heart of a covenant is a relationship between the Lord and his people. The two “parties” are not looking at production levels or profit margins. They are looking at each other and offering themselves to each other in a sacred bond.

Consider what God is calling you to in today’s reading: remove oppression, refrain from false accusation, feed the hungry, keep the Sabbath. He is giving you concrete ways to live out your covenant with him. When you treat the Sabbath as a time to rest in his presence rather than filling it with “your own pursuits” (Isaiah 58:3), you are loving the Lord. When you treat your neighbors with honor and dignity—especially those who are struggling—you are honoring God. When you look at anyone through the lens of his love, you are returning the “covenant gaze” with which the Lord is looking at you.

As you respond to God’s call in this way, you’ll experience his love for you more deeply—both in prayer and through the people around you. Reread today’s reading and savor God’s desire to love you. Let him show you the way that will lead you to “delight” in him (Isaiah 58:14).

“O God, teach me to love you and delight in you.” (Meditation on Isaiah 58:9-14, n.d.)

Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, comments Spiritual teacher and writer Christine Valters Paintner invites us to imitate the desert monks in their commitment to spiritual practices as a path to freedom and transformation:

They went to seek this kind of radical communion with the sacred presence, which teaches us that it is not the cell itself that brings inner peace…. Their wisdom reminds us that we can bring presence and focus in the midst of a crowd, and we can also sit in a silent place and be overwhelmed by thoughts and distractions….

Allow a few moments to center and breathe deeply, drawing your awareness back to yourself. Rest in the presence of the Beloved who dwells in the cave of your heart, that interior cell where you are called to simply be. Invite in the presence of some of the desert mothers and fathers to be with you. Notice how they appear to you. Notice if one or two of them approach you, and invite them to sit with you for a while. Share with them where you are in this season of your life and what the questions of your heart are right now. Listen for their response. (Rohr, 2025)

We exhort the Spirit to illuminate the “brokenness” in our environment and inspire our movement to help with Jesus' compassion and care and rejection of blame and transactional agendas.

References

Amu, V. (2026, February 21). Daily Reflection February 21, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-21-2026 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 58 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/58? 

Luke, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/5?27 

Meditation on Isaiah 58:9-14. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/21/1506356/ 

Psalms, PSALM 86 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/86?1 

Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). The Desert and Transformation: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-desert-and-transformation-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Calls Sinners to Follow Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 21, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Called to Heal

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary challenge us to contemplate the areas in our lives where we are called to bring healing to the people and circumstances we encounter.

Healing and Help

In the Reading from the First Letter of Samuel, while searching for The Lost Donkeys, Saul Meets Samuel.

h. [9:16] 1 Sm 10:1; Jgs 6:14. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 21 is a Royal Psalm of thanksgiving.

* [Psalm 21] The first part of this royal Psalm is a thanksgiving (Ps 21:2–8), and the second is a promise that the king will triumph over his enemies (Ps 21:9–13). The king’s confident prayer (Ps 21:3–5) and trust in God (Ps 21:8) enable him to receive the divine gifts of vitality, peace, and military success. Ps 21:14 reprises Ps 21:2. When kings ceased in Israel after the sixth century B.C., the Psalm was sung of a future Davidic king. (Psalms, PSALM 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark presents the Call of Levi.

* [2:13] He taught them: see note on Mk 1:21–45.

* [2:14] As he passed by: see note on Mk 1:16–20. Levi, son of Alphaeus: see note on Mt 9:9. Customs post: such tax collectors paid a fixed sum for the right to collect customs duties within their districts. Since whatever they could collect above this amount constituted their profit, the abuse of extortion was widespread among them. Hence, Jewish customs officials were regarded as sinners (Mk 2:16), outcasts of society, and disgraced along with their families. He got up and followed him: i.e., became a disciple of Jesus.

* [2:15] In his house: cf. Mk 2:1; Mt 9:10. Lk 5:29 clearly calls it Levi’s house.

* [2:16–17] This and the following conflict stories reflect a similar pattern: a statement of fact, a question of protest, and a reply by Jesus.

* [2:17] Do not need a physician: this maxim of Jesus with its implied irony was uttered to silence his adversaries who objected that he ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mk 2:16). Because the scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous, they were not capable of responding to Jesus’ call to repentance and faith in the gospel. (Mark, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cindy Costanzo comments that today's scripture from both the Old Testament and the New Testament shares how God calls us throughout our lives in many ways aligned with our gifts and talents.

 

God called both Saul and Levi - one to be King and the other to be a disciple. God calls all of us into discipleship - are we able to hear the call? God always has great things in mind for us…our journey in life changes based on our ability to open our heart and listen to the quiet stirrings; to open our minds, to trust, and explore what that call may be or mean in our lives. 

God’s love for us is not transactional - God knows us intimately and what we are capable of…we all are meant to be ‘lights’ guiding others to the light…God’s light. (Costanzo, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “No physician can avoid the arena of sickness,” by Gregory of Nazianzus (330 - 390 AD).

"When Jesus is attacked for mixing with sinners, and taking as his disciple a despised tax collector, one might ask: What could he possibly gain by doing so? (Luke 15:2) Only the salvation of sinners. To blame Jesus for mingling with sinners would be like blaming a physician for stooping down over suffering and putting up with vile smells in order to heal the sick." (excerpt from ORATION 45, ON HOLY EASTER 26) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 2:13-17 comments that frankly, we all need Jesus! The tax collectors and prostitutes whom Jesus spent time with were not the only sinners he was concerned about. The upright, too—including those who were concerned about the spiritual state of Jesus’ dinner guests—had their own sins and struggles. Whether they knew it or not, Jesus had come to save them, too.

If you’re like most people, you probably have a few appointments on your calendar: with doctors, dentists, therapists, or just get-togethers with friends. How about making an appointment with Jesus, the Divine Physician, perhaps in Confession or Adoration or at Mass. Or maybe you could make a daily appointment to meet him in prayer!

Come to Jesus. Follow him. Let him continue to heal you.

“Here I am, Lord; make me whole!” (Meditation on Mark 2:13-17, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the first reading begins the search of the people for a king. Saul asks for the seer, a man who knows the future or hidden knowledge. Samuel anoints Saul as the "anointed one”, a messiah , not The Messiah. The call of Levi, the tax collector, considered inherently dishonest people working for the occupying Romans, is not understood by the Pharisees. The were hated but Jesus calls Levi to follow Him and then scandalizes them by sharing table. These people are broken people and He wants to heal them by eating and showing them courtesy and decent treatment. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus reaches out to those who most need him and we should ask ourselves about our actions to reach out.

Father Richard Rohr introduces author Sherri Mitchell who invites us to attend to the stories of our own creation. She is informed by science and the traditions of her Penobscot heritage.

When we are born into this world, our umbilical connection is transferred from our birth mother to the Earth mother. Our umbilical connection with the Earth mother then nurtures and sustains us for the remainder of our human lives.

Though we have migrated a great distance, the radiance of that star dust still resonates within us. It is the essence of something indescribable that is etched upon our souls. It stirs something deep within us. This stirring is a call of recognition, of remembrance. It continuously reminds us that we are infinitely connected to one another, to the natural world, and to a unified divine source. Evidence of our shared origin can be found all around us. Science has finally caught up with what we have always known, that we are all related. We are all made out of the same foundational elements. It is simply the arrangement of those elements that gives distinct form to what we see before us. We share DNA with every other living being. Approximately 98 percent of our DNA is shared with primates, and about 35 percent is shared with plants…. We all come from the same originating source, and we all comprise the same foundational elements. (Rohr, 2026)

We seek guidance from the Spirit to become aware of the need of healing in our environment and strength to be a “physician” in Jesus Way.

References

Costanzo, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-17-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?13 

Meditation on Mark 2:13-17. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/17/1481638/ 

1 Samuel, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/9?1 

Psalms, PSALM 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/21?2 

Rohr, R. (2026, January 15). In the Beginning: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/in-the-beginning-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Many Sinners Were Sitting with Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 17, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/