Leaving Everything Behind

March 8, 2025 – Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030825.cfm)

Every sinner felt unloved, unwanted and condemned. This was the prevailing culture at that time. Pharisees, Scribes, and those who considered themselves righteous demanded that public sinners be separated from the community. Yet, this is not the case with Jesus. Jesus turned the condemning culture upside down. Jesus opposed the rigid, judgmental, and unforgiving righteous people. He rather surprised them with forgiveness, mercy, and love.

This is what we have received in today’s Gospel. Jesus called Levi, also known as Matthew, to follow him. Levi was a tax collector. Levi, since he worked for the Roman rulers and collected tax among his fellow Jews, was considered a public sinner. His fellow Jews despised and prohibited him to enter the synagogue and the temple and even to mingle with his fellow Jews. Matthew was condemned and excommunicated by the society.

For any righteous person, no one shall talk to him or touch him. Yet, Jesus did all these things. Jesus talked to Levi, touched him and even dined with him, made him a friend and called Matthew to be one of the disciples. This tells us how Jesus calls and brings many wonders in the life of a person who responds to his call.

Jesus proclaimed his message to everyone as he said, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” This tells us that God is a God of forgiveness, of many chances, of healing and freedom. Jesus understands the struggle of a sinner though he was not a sinner himself.

As Levi, the sinner was given the grace of forgiveness and acceptance, and so we are. The presence of God is the grace that liberates us from whatever burden, shame and guilt that we are suffering from.

As a response, Levi left everything behind and followed Jesus. The grace Levi received, though unworthy, changed him very much. It transformed his heart to be free, thus, leaving everything that prevented him to follow the Lord.

This is also the message we have heard in the first reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah. “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…”

We are called to let go and leave everything that prevents us from being close to Jesus and with the rest of our community. We are called to humble ourselves by acknowledging our sinfulness. This moves us to recognize our need for God, need for forgiveness and healing.

Be careful then, when we feel the temptation to appear righteous and superior over others. In fact, when we feel too righteous, we become arrogant. Arrogance keeps us away from God and would make us deny God’s mercy. Something we also need to leave behind.

As we recognize God in our life, then, we also allow God to transform us, to change our lives, to call us and to touch us. May our heart be renewed in this Season of Lent. Hinaut pa.