What I want is mercy not sacrifice

Gen. 23:1-4.19.24:1-8.62-67, Mt. 9:9-13. Today’s first reading, relates the events after Sarah, the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac passed away. God took good care of Isaac by providing him someone to love despite the grief that he endured at that time. God gave him Rebecca to be his wife and at the same time, fulfilling the promise He made to him and his father Abraham, that their descendants will be great and numerous. God has been so loving and generous to us, that He calls not all who are qualified but qualifies those whom He calls. In today's Gospel, Jesus calls an unlikely character, a tax collector, to be His friend and goes on to share a meal with tax collectors and sinners.

Matthew and his friends were despised as sinners, collaborators with the Romans, lax in their morals and non observers of God’s law. Such people were to be avoided for fear of contamination. Jesus did not follow this path of exclusion and avoidance. He was not afraid of being contaminated by others. On the contrary, He changes others and draws them to a better lifestyle. He went on to say, “what I want is mercy not sacrifice.” This is a key principle for Christian morality. Our Lord wants His own merciful spirit to find expression in the lives of His followers. Today, we are called to transform others by our openness and compassion. We are challenged to be agents of the Lord’s transforming love and mercy.

May the Lord guide our thoughts, words, actions and help us to avoid wrongdoing so that what we do today may be pleasing to Him! Amen!! Good morning and have a pleasant day!!!