The WORD today reminds me that we should immediately leave everything
behind as we follow Christ.
There
are different reactions to being called. Some wait it out until the caller
gives up. Some wait until the other person calls again or gets mad before
following. Some wait until such time there is no more option aside from
following. And there are some who immediately respond to the call. This is how
God wants us to act - to immediately act.
The
gospel shows us Levi, a sinful man, immediately leaving everything behind and
following Jesus.
Jesus saw a tax collector named
Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
God
does not judge us without first giving us opportunities to right our wrongs. He
gave Levi a chance, even if he was a sinful man, to follow Jesus. His sinful
situation did not prevent him from being called to God’s kingdom. However, Levi
needs to leave everything behind – his past life, his sins and bad habits, his
lifestyle, so he can really follow Christ. He cannot be an effective
follower of Christ if he will not leave things behind, if he will occasionaly
go back to his old life and sin. Also, he needs to do it immediately, not
plan it. He has to decide, with God’s grace, to leave his dark past and focus
on the present and hope for he bright future with Christ
This
is what is giving us right now. The opportunity to repent. The opportunity to
follow him. This season of Lent, we are called to reflect, to repent, and to
follow God moving forward. And we should do it immediately. Jesus is
calling each one of us. Jesus is asking us to come and follow Him.
How
do I respond to God’s call, especially this lent, to repent and follow him?
What prevents me from acting like levi? What is God asking me today?
May
we heed His call to immediately follow Him.
Father God,
Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live.
Thank you for this weekend. Lord, I thank you for never giving up on me, for
never judging me. Thank you for the opportunities you give me to change my
ways. sorry for all my excuses. Sorry for not following you. Sorry for not
responding to your call. Lord, I ask that I be ready when you call me. May I
wholeheartedly leave everything behind and follow you all the days of my life.
Amen.
Blessed Weekend!
In Christ,
-g-
Ps
See related reflections:
February 29 2020
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Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Lectionary: 222
Lectionary: 222
Reading
1 IS 58:9B-14
Thus
says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined homesteads.”
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,
and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;
“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,
“Restorer of ruined homesteads.”
If
you hold back your foot on the sabbath
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with maliceB
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight,
and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with maliceB
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Responsorial
Psalm PS 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R.
(11ab) Teach me your way, O Lord, that
I may walk in your truth.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.
Verse
Before The Gospel EZ 33:11
I
take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.
Gospel LK
5:27-32
Jesus
saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
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