Message of Abbot Paul - Saturday 15th January
Message from Fr Paul for Saturday, 15th January 2022
You will be pleased and relieved to hear that yesterday afternoon we had a successful visit to the veterinary surgery. The vets were overjoyed to see the that the wound had finally healed and so were able to remove Toby’s stitches. He will still have to wear the Elizabethan collar for another week when left to his own devices, just in case he’s tempted to give the wound a little lick. There’s an Xray lined up on the last day of the month, just to make sure that the leg is working well and the steel plates functioning as they should do, But it’s still three months of near-absolute rest and the shortest of walks. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.
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In today’s Gospel passage from Mark, (Mk 2: 13-17), Jesus calls another disciple, but this leads to controversy with the scribes who are members of the Pharisee party. This is what Mark writes:
“Jesus went out to the shore of the lake; and all the people came to him, and he taught them. As he was walking on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collectors and sinners were also sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’”
This is Mark’s account of the call of Levi or Matthew, who was a tax collector. These people were considered as sinners because they collaborated with the occupying Roman authorities, and, in fact, Jesus comes across Levi siting by the customs’ house. The call is brief and to the point, as is the reaction of Levi, no questions asked. However, later on, Jesus, together with his disciples, is sitting at table in Levi’s house, invited to dinner as were a number of tax collectors and others considered to be sinners. The scribes see this and are outraged, as only sinners eat with sinners. We can presume, then, that they weren’t eating and were just uninvited onlookers, curious to see what was going on. Why do they not speak directly with Jesus, but ask his disciples? Are they trying to cause division in the group? But Jesus hears what they are saying and points out clearly why he has come and what he is doing. He has come to forgive, heal and reconcile. He is a physician of souls, who cares for their eternal good. “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.” What comforting words these are to those who recognise how much they need the loving mercy of God! Lord, we thank you that you have come for us: we are the sick who need the doctor and the sinners who need forgiveness and healing. Help us to treat others as you treat them and to regard no one as lost. You have come for us all and we thank you. Amen.
