THE WORD
Heb 4,12-16 / Mk 2,13-17
Once again [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. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
While 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 he 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 (that), "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
IN OTHER WORDS
There is a saying that goes like this: "Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are." It sounds judgmental but this seems to be the way of the world. Parents constantly remind their children: Choose your friends carefully! Don 't hang out with people who are bad influence. And indeed, we do choose our friends carefully. We do choose the kinds of people we hang out with.
However, Jesus in today's gospel shows us that he really did not have time for what other people would say in terms of the company he kept. He was not afraid to be seen with sinners and tax collectors for these were the very people he was looking for, the very people he was sent to. At the end of the day, the only WORD that really mattered for Jesus was the WORD of his FATHER. It was for this reason that he came into the world — to fulfill the mission of his Father, to call the sinners and those who are in need of God's love and mercy.
Let us pray that as we begin this New Year, we may have the courage to follow Jesus' example in the gospel today. May we find time or make time to be with people who need us rather than hang out with people we need. At the end of the day, let us put more weight on what the Father will say to us rather than what other people will say about us.
- Fr. Carlos Macatangga, SVD (Toronto, Canada)
The Word in other words 2017
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
