Luke 5:27-32

Isaiah 58:9b-14

Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.

He said to him, “Follow me.”

And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,

and a large crowd of tax collectors

and others were at table with them.

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,

“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus said to them in reply,

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.

I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, on this fourth day of Lent, I bow before you in reverence and humility. I do not deserve to be called your child, and yet you have welcomed me into your holy family. I count your Son as my brother and Lord, and your life-giving Spirit as the bond of our love.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Calling Sinners to Follow: In the Gospel, Jesus’ first words to Levi are not “repent,” but “follow me.” This is an important detail. The attraction and draw of the good is prior to and more fundamental than the decision to change one’s life. God is the first mover. When Jesus saw Levi at the customs post, he knew the depths of his soul. He knew his strengths and weaknesses, his successes and failures, and his temptations and deepest desires. Jesus knew the heights of holiness and perfection he could achieve. What was important was that Levi abandoned the pursuit of earthly wealth and began to accumulate heavenly treasure. We can only store up treasure in heaven with Jesus. Without Jesus, we cannot. Let us, then, abandon our sinful ways and embrace the way of Jesus this Lenten season.

2. Calling Sinners to Repentance: The call to follow Jesus cannot be separated from the call to repentance (metanoia). Repentance means a radical change in mindset. It means not only turning from a life of sin to a life in God but also having the same sentiments, mindset, and strategy of Jesus. By walking with Jesus, entering into communion with him, and living with him, we learn what it is that we need to repent from. Living in communion with the Divine Physician, we are healed from the sickness caused by sin. The initial trust we place in Jesus, who invites us to follow him, can flourish as we adopt the mindset of Christ in all that we think, say, and do.

3. Overcoming Religious Hypocrisy: The First Reading continues the passage from Isaiah that we began yesterday (Isaiah 58:1-9a). The problem Isaiah is addressing is that of religious hypocrisy, “the sin of adhering to outward forms of religion (58:2) while tolerating injustice, strife, and neglect of the poor (58:3-4, 7). Serving the Lord cannot be separated from serving other members of the covenant community” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1248). Isaiah, in today’s reading, asks that we remove oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech from our lives, and also that we be faithful to the Sabbath rest and honor the Lord’s holy day. If we do the first set of actions, then our lives will be filled with light, and the Lord will guide us and strengthen us. If we truly keep the Sabbath holy, then we will delight in the Lord and flourish.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have called me to follow you. Your way, the way of every Christian, leads to the Golgotha. I naturally tend to resist shouldering the burden of the cross. And yet, in the depths of my heart, I want to be another Simon of Cyrene and walk with you under your yoke.

Living the Word of God: Have I planned to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent? What sins am I looking forward to being forgiven of the most? Does the fact that this Lent occurs during a Jubilee Year inspire me in a special way? How can I experience the fullness of God’s mercy this Lent?