Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 15, 2022
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.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
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 Jesus 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,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
As an Army chaplain, this past year has made me appreciate those old-timey traveling pastors who used to ride the countryside on horseback, tending to their flocks scattered far and wide.
Many of the soldiers I visited in the field had not received the Eucharist or Confession for several weeks (or even months). It was humbling for me to witness the healing that God poured out upon his people, especially in unusual and unfamiliar settings.
These encounters have often made me pause and reflect: Do I allow Christ, the Divine Physician, to treat my spiritual wounds and faults? Or do I fancy myself as someone above being humble and repentant of my sins? After all, if a patient refuses to acknowledge their broken arm, it will be impossible for them to receive treatment and healing from a surgeon. And if our pride prevents us from welcoming the Lord into the spiritual house of our soul, how can we truly minister to those who feel unworthy of God’s love?
This gospel passage reminds us of the urgent charity that must be the engine behind our Catholic faith. It is a good and noble thing to welcome sinners into our midst, but it is nobler still to then lead them before the Cross of Christ—the same Cross from which Jesus offered eternal mercy to the repentant thief.
May we be unafraid to humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus so he may continue to pour out his mercy and healing through us.
Prayer
Christ our good shepherd, you tirelessly seek out the lost and give strength to the weary sinner. In your unfathomable mercy, you never cease to pour out blessings upon those who despair of finding you. Help us to extend this same spirit of consolation to our brothers and sisters in need, and may we always imitate your example of tender care towards the marginalized. We ask this in your Name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Paul the Hermit was forced to flee to the desert to survive, but ended up living there an amazingly long time.
Paul was born around the year 230 in Egypt to an upper-class Christian family. He was well-educated, but left an orphan at the age of 15. The persecutions of Decius began a few years later, and members of his family planned a scheme to seize control of his property by reporting him as a Christian to the authorities. He fled both his family and the authorities by going into the desert and living in a cave.
The hermitic lifestyle suited Paul well and he spent the rest of his 113 year-long life surviving off fruit and water and wearing leaves. He spent most of his time in prayer, and a legend tells of a raven bringing him bread for sustenance.
St. Anthony the Abbot, who is traditionally credited with formalizing the monastic movement, visited Paul and became friends with him. (In fact, Anthony’s feast day lands in two days.) When he died, Anthony buried Paul in a cloak that was given to him by St. Athanasius, and it is said that two lions helped dig the grave. The two friends—Paul and Anthony—are depicted in murals in the Basilica on opposite-facing walls. St. Paul’s image includes the bread-bearing raven, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Paul the Hermit, who lived nearly 100 years in the desert on little more than prayer, pray for us!