Why is it far easier to lose our temper and lash out? Instead of being patient and gentle? To be selfish instead of charitable? Why do we make some progress then fallback into old habits? Perhaps the answer lies in how immature we are in our faith and so what follows are our immature actions!
For many of us would have learnt by now, that if we want something badly enough then by working hard for it through determination and discipline we will achieve what we set our hearts upon. The virtues after the heart of Christ that we seek are no different. We need to work at growing in our faith through dwelling on our Lord’s Word, making time to be in His presence through prayer and striving hard to exercise love and mercy in all our interactions with others. And we can surely prevail because we do so Not with our own strengths. It is our loving Lord that seeks us sinners out and through our desire to follow Him, His redeeming grace is upon us. Through Him we are perfected and, made whole. One Body In Him.
Praise and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
St Matthew pray for us…
First reading
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13 ·
We are all to come to unity, fully mature in the knowledge of the Son of God
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Gospel
Matthew 9:9-13
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick
As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’
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