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for His precepts and yearn for His commands?
The gospel addresses our responses to these questions with the sud-
denness of a thunderclap. Jesus, the Incarnate Word, says ˈFollow
Me.ˉ Matthew leaves his marketplace, the customs post, to do so.
Matthew is an important person, the tax collector for the world˅s
greatest power. Yet Matthew chooses, humbly and without hesitation,
to follow the Word of God made flesh.
R
EFLECTION
The Pharisees are similarly called but recoil at the invitation to follow
the Word of God. Instead they focus, like the Israelites in Amos, on
their special status, how they are different from the ˈsinners.ˉ Jesus
does not rebuke them directly. He simply tells them He came to call
the sinners. Jesus leaves it to the Pharisees to determine whether
they have the humility to consider themselves sinners. Jesus˅ call is
a merciful one. It does not require the sacrifice of the Pharisees˅ (or
our) identities. All Jesus asks of them (and us) is to have the humility
to accept our sinfulness, our need for His merciful redemption and to
follow Him.
P
RAYER
ˈ
O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart,
that I may hear your word and understand and do
your will.ˉ
Opening of the
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
before Reading or Listening to the Word of God
_______
R
OLAND
S
IMPSON
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INNER