DAILY- HOMILY

September 21, 2017 - THURSDAY, 24th Week in Ordinary Time

ST. MATTHEW, Apostle and Evangelist

Feast, Red

Eph 4: 1 - 7, 11 - 13 I Mt 9: 9 - 13

     St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, was a tax collector before he was called by Christ. Tradition says he preached the Gospel as far as Persia and Ethiopia.

FROM THE 1ST READING:             Eph 4: 1 - 6

     Therefore, I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love.

     Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.

GOSPEL READING:           Mt 9: 9- 13

     As Jesus moved on from there, he saw a man named Matthew at his seat in the custom-house, and he said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew got up and followed him. Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and other sinners joined Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, "Why is it that your master eats with those sinners and tax collectors?"

     When Jesus heard this he said, "Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

REFLECTION

     The Gospel narrative is about the call of Matthew, the tax collector, to follow Christ. Jesus calls and Matthew leaves his seat at the custom house and follows Jesus.

     At dinner in Matthew's house, the Pharisees find fault with Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus explains his actions and mission, "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

     Jesus came to save mankind, to bring humanity back to God. Indeed he came to save sinners for all of us sin; all of us have inherited the sin of our first parents; all of us live in a world of sin, alienated from God.

     Let us look into ourselves and discover our spiritual ailments and weaknesses and present them for healing to the Great Physician of our salvation.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

PRAYER INTENTION

     WORLD PEACE DAY

IN MEMORIAM (†)

     LUNINGNING DE QUIROZ

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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