Jesus said to the Pharisees:

"I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Jesus spoke these words to explain

why He ate with tax collectors and outcasts.

 

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

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, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God, the Father of all, who is above all, and works through all, and is in all.

But to each of us, divine grace is given, according to the measure of Christ's gift.

 

As for his gifts, to some, he gave to be apostles; to others, prophets, or even evangelists;

or pastors and teachers. So, he prepared those who belong to him for the ministry,

in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united

in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus, we shall become the perfect Man,

upon reaching maturity, and sharing the fullness of Christ.

 

Ps 19:2-3, 4-5

Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 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 sinners joined Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this,

they said to his disciples, "Why is it that your master eats with 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."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

To call sinners.

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Jesus was clear about his mission, "to call sinners." This is the will of the Father,

to save and bring all his children back to his kingdom.

It is no wonder that Jesus associates and shares with sinners.

This is the very reason for his coming. Can we also share with those known and hated as sinners in our community?

Let us continue to encourage and help our loved ones and neighbors not to fall into sin

because we have an obligation and duty to participate in their salvation.