Reflection for Saturday January 17 Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot: Mark 2:13-17

Gospel: Mark 2:13-17

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.”

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Reflection:

How can we help sinners become followers of Jesus? We can begin by doing what the Lord Himself did: we approach them, we walk with them, and we befriend them. And as we grow in friendship with them, we gently and lovingly introduce Jesus into their lives, trusting that in God’s time, their hearts will be touched and they will come to follow Him.

Let us be patient with them. Let us not judge them for what they have done. Instead, let us pray for them, carry them in our hearts, and hope for their eventual conversion.

Jesus is a Lord of encounter and relationship. He goes to sinners, speaks with them, listens to them, and even shares table with them. He does not wait for them to become perfect before loving them. He loves them first, and that love becomes the beginning of their transformation.

How about us? Do we also choose to draw near to those who are far from God? Do we dare to walk with them, even when it is uncomfortable? And do we forgive them, even when they do not ask for forgiveness?

Sometimes, we are tempted to stay in our own “ivory towers,” feeling safe, secure, and perhaps even righteous. From there, we may look down on others and judge them, forgetting that we, too, are sinners in need of mercy. We may label people as hopeless or dangerous, but if we avoid them, how can they ever experience the saving love of God through us?

If Jesus had avoided Levi and the other tax collectors, they would have continued in their old ways and never discovered the joy of a changed life. But Jesus chose to sit with them, to speak with them, and to walk with them, because He knew that only through love and closeness could their hearts be healed and turned back to God.

And so, we are invited to examine our own hearts today. Are we willing to leave our comfort zones, to risk being misunderstood, and to love as Jesus loves? Who is the “sinner” in our life whom the Lord is asking us not to avoid, but to approach, embrace, and gently lead back to Him? — Marino J. Dasmarinas