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. Luke 5:27-28
Piety
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.
Isaiah 58:9B-11
Study
Today’s story is hard to believe for those
closest to Jesus and still harder for us to understand from long distance.
Levi/Matthew leaves everything behind. Just like Peter and the fishermen-friends,
Luke shows that Jesus asks for complete detachment from material possessions. That departure may be hard for us to
understand. Today, we measure things by the
yardstick, “So what? Who cares? What’s
in it for me?” Jesus tells us to throw
that away. The real issue here is what
is in it for Jesus and the other, not for the self.
However, it was harder still to understand
why Jesus would call Matthew in the first place. Matthew was a tax
collector. He might have been in
Capernaum to collect a fish tax from Peter, Andrew, James and
John. This truly astonished the people around
Jesus. Yet, Jesus wants Matthew/Levi in
his corner more than he wants the Pharisees like Nicodemus. Jesus wants the sinners. Jesus wants us.
Let’s return to our modern mindset. So what if we do leave everything behind? What’s in it for me? Look no further than Isaiah for the unqualified
covenant promise.
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.
Action
One group of people leave everything behind
for personal reasons. They quit their
jobs and want to travel the world. For
them, leaving everything behind is a way to free themselves from one vocation
while they pursue something new. Sometimes, it also is a way of running away
from problems rather than facing them.
In the modern world, there also are large
masses of people who have no choice but who have to leave everything behind for
political, economic or security reasons.
They set off in search of a safe place to raise their family and live.
They are called refugees – wandering like the Jews through the desert -- in
search of a promised land of safety.
From www.USCCB.ORG:
The political and
humanitarian crisis in Syria continues to be of serious concern for the
Catholic Church and the bishops of the United States. In the past five years,
at least four million Syrians have fled their country as a consequence of the
civil war and the rise of ISIS. Most have fled to surrounding countries, and
many others have moved on to Europe with the hope of finding a place of peace and
safety. Reflecting Christ's call to welcome the stranger, it is imperative that
we help to provide a place of welcome to vulnerable refugee populations, with
particular attention given to the ongoing crisis in Syria.
The Parishes
Organized to Welcome Refugees (POWR) program strengthens the dioceses and
parishes' ability to welcome refugees from all over the world. Its main
focus is to encourage parishes to make an ongoing and organized commitment to
working with refugees in partnership with the resettlement program of the
diocese. In response to the growing crisis, the POWR program will assist in
the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Please consider helping POWR during this
needed time. Your support will provide long-term assistance locally
to all refugees, like the Syrian refugees, by giving them the vital resources
they need to keep safe, healthy, and secure.
If you live in New
York, Florida, or Washington, DC, donate
online now. . . . To make a donation from
another state, please return this
donation form to the address indicated.
Jesus is asking us to make a different choice. He wants us to leave every possession behind so
that we can be freed up from the weight of what holds us down and back. In that way, we can travel light and travel
for Him.
Be amazed!
Look what’s in it for you when you leave everything behind.
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