Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 5, 2019
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew 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 came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
I am often incredibly stubborn when it comes to giving myself over to God’s will; I have always struggled intensely with worry and fear. It seems like it should be easy to let God love me, but I often find this kind of trust challenging. Thankfully, God’s Divine Mercy will not leave me, or any of us, alone. Through the message of Divine Mercy, I have learned that this makes me the perfect candidate for being extravagantly healed by the merciful love of Jesus Christ.
Today’s Gospel presents us with a foundational truth of Jesus’ Divine Mercy. Jesus tells us
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Jesus desires to draw each soul to himself, especially those who are painfully aware of their unworthiness. Yet Jesus revealed to St Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy, that “the greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy.” This seems almost too good to be true. But when we choose to proclaim this truth from our heart, even when we don’t yet believe it, we give Jesus permission to love us, take our hand, and heal our deepest wounds.
Every soul was created to experience relationship with the author of life, the one who continually loves us into existence and wills each breath that we take. Each moment is an opportunity to allow Jesus to increase his humility, his mercy, his love in us so that we can in turn learn how to receive and love him as he loves and receives the Father. Today, following Jesus’s call to learn “mercy not sacrifice,” let us practice receiving God’s mercy with a simple phrase spoken from the heart, “Jesus, I trust in You”.
Prayer
Dear Lord, how will you call us this day to follow you? How will we hear your voice? Will it be through a heart of gratitude? Will it be in the ordinary moments that hold a spark of your love? Will it be through listening from a place of care and not ego? Maybe it will be when we choose to do nothing and simply pause to breathe in your Spirit. You will call us this day. Help us respond as readily as Matthew. Amen.
Saint of the Day
When she was born and baptized in 1271, Elizabeth of Portugal was named after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and she grew up to emulate her aunt in holiness.
As a child, Elizabeth tried to imitate the virtue she saw in other people. She was known for her prayerfulness, obedience, and service to others.
As a young girl, she was married to the king of Portugal. The king did not match her piety with his own lifestyle, but allowed her whatever freedom she wanted to practice her faith. She consistently prayed at several points during her day, and attended Mass every morning. She was modest in the food she ate and the clothes she wore, and dedicated her life to serving God.
She was especially known for her service to the poor. She ordered people in her kingdom to give food and shelter to anyone they found traveling or living on the road. She, herself, would seek out people living in poverty and would help them in whatever way she could. She gave dowries to poor girls and established a hospital and orphanage. She also founded a home where women could escape exploitation and begin a new life.
Her husband was a considerate and generous ruler, but his personal life was a mess—he was selfish and unfaithful, which caused great scandal. Elizabeth devoted her energy to their two children.
Elizabeth was known as the “peacemaker” because at several points in her life, she brought about reconciliation between men who were competing for power, even between her husband and her son when he had grown. She is known to have averted several wars.
When her husband got sick, she cared for him night and day and helped him die a holy death. Then she went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and spent the rest of her life living near a convent that she founded. She followed the way of St. Francis and lived with great simplicity.
Elizabeth died while traveling to visit rulers in an effort to urge reconciliation. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, you were the quintessential peacemaker who averted wars with your faithfulness—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Elizabeth of Portugal is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
