(Optional Memorial for Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr)
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| “Amos” by Gustave Doré,1865 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Commentary on Am 8:4-6, 9-12
In his fourth vision, the prophet Amos’ oracle now turns to God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the holy days (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28:11-15) so they can engage in business. Their practice of cheating on the measure of grain (the ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:36 and Deuteronomy 25:13-15).
The response by God is a judgment against them. Although the original intent was an attack on those who were dishonest, we see the deeper allusion to God’s response to the rejection of Christ, and the death of his Son. The total eclipse is always a sign of God’s impending judgment, and the lamentations that follow (“I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentations”). Finally the prediction that the Word of the Lord (the sacred name is used in the Hebrew text) will be gone from them, and they will search for it in vain, can be seen not only as the loss of the prophet (the original intent), but the loss of the Logos, the Messiah.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
R. (Matthew 4:4) One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Commentary on Ps 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
Psalm 119 is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of difficulty. The strophes selected from this very long psalm focus on the fidelity of the singer to the “ordinances, statutes, and decrees” of the Law in reference to the oracle of Amos 8:4-6, 9-12 where the prophet condemns those who violate God’s Law. It emphasizes that God is truth and, as his followers, we are called to live in truth.
CCC: Ps119:30 2465
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Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
Commentary on Mt 9:9-13
The journey of Jesus continues with the Lord’s encounter with Matthew (Levi in St. Mark’s Gospel), the tax collector. The Pharisees are scandalized because this renowned teacher (Jesus) has chosen to associate with “sinners,” who clearly violate some of the numerous laws about ritual purity (Matthew 5:46). Jesus’ response, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” makes it clear that interior faith is more highly prized than purely ritualistic rigor.
This passage is the call of St. Matthew into discipleship. His profession, as customs worker or tax collector, would have stimulated controversy among the scribes and Pharisees, and the presence of others of the same type at the meal described, would have caused ritual impurity. However, as with his disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus calls Matthew as he was engaged in his profession. The question the Pharisees ask, because such contact would have caused ritual impurity, would have been construed as a critical remark. The Lord responded with a challenge, quoting Hosea 6:6, and punctuated his response with the observation that those who were critical of his associations did not understand the scriptures they professed to represent.
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Reflection:
Tradition holds that St. Matthew, following his call and wanderings with the Lord, “…was also amongst the Apostles who were present at the Ascension, and afterwards withdrew to an upper chamber, in Jerusalem, praying in union with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with his brethren” (Acts 1:10; Acts 1:14). [4] He was not mentioned prominently in other parts of the New Testament, even in his own Gospel, although we do have the account given today of his call and response. Other historical accounts have him staying around Jerusalem for about 15 years, and finishing his Gospel then going off to ancient Ethiopia (which is not present day Ethiopia) where he was martyred. There is no clear record on how this took place.
What we are given, however, is that, of the disciples called by the Lord, Matthew (Levi) was the one who gives hope for those who are marginalized. As a customs agent, he served the civil government under Herod Antipas, and was not accepted by the Pharisees (that is an understatement; traditionally these agents [tax collectors] were shunned). Think of them as you might think of an IRS agent (not that I have anything against people who work for the IRS; this is just a metaphor (I hope I don’t get audited)). That is why, when Jesus was invited to dinner following Matthew's call, he was eating with “tax collectors and sinners.” These were probably the friends of Matthew, his colleagues. Jesus then proclaims his prophetic statement; “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Jesus was the great unifier. He took upon himself the sins of all of us. From some he takes a greater burden, but all contribute to it. And look where that particular sinner went once he chose to follow the Lord. He followed the Lord on his journeys through the region. He was with him in the upper room where he blessed and broke bread, that was his body, for the first time. He was with him in the garden when they took him. He was there, in fear, in the locked room, when the Lord came and said to them: “Peace be with you.” And for all of us, he recorded those events so we would know, and have faith.
Matthew is a great hope for us all. If he, who was considered by the religious of the day to be unworthy of a place in the assembly of the faithful, was one of the first called by the Lord, then how much more merciful will Jesus be toward us? If Matthew, Levi, the tax collector, was blessed with the gifts of evangelization, how much more will the Lord give us if we ask him?
Pax
[1] The picture is “Amos” by Gustave Doré,1865.
[4] The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight.
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