Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jewish tax collectors were seen as traitors along with being unjust. Not only did many of them cheat the people they collected from, they were serving a foreign power that occupied the land promised to God’s people. They sinned against their kin and against the covenant with the Lord. Nevertheless, Jesus saw the good in people no matter how sinful they were and called Matthew the tax collector to leave his former life behind. The Gospel makes Matthew’s conversion sound simple and immediate, but there were certainly bumps and failures along the way. Many times Jesus had to rebuke his disciples for their actions or for not understanding his teaching, and Matthew is no exception. Thankfully, he persevered in following Jesus and eventually gave us a written account of the Good News.
No sinner is beyond saving, even a traitor. In fact, many other great saints were once terrible sinners. St. Paul persecuted the first disciples, St. Augustine had a child out of wedlock, and blessed Bartolo Longo converted after being a satanic priest. The path of conversion is long and difficult, made harder by the severity of our sinfulness. But grace abounds for all to be reconciled to God because he sees the good in each of us and loves us despite our many sins.
Reflection by Fr. Victor Schinstock, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections