I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice

Friday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time

July 2, 2021

First Reading: Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
 
Word Count: 300 words
Reading speed  
    Slow (100 wpm): 3 minutes
    Average (130 wpm): 2.3 minutes
    Fast (160 wpm) : 1.9 minutes

By being merciful ourselves, we open our hearts to experience God’s mercy.

There are 3 instances in our Gospel today that Jesus shows us God’s mercy.  

  

1) When He called Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him.  God’s mercy can make an apostle, an evangelist, a saint out of a sinner.

 

2) When He ate with tax collectors and sinners. For the Jews, sharing a meal with someone indicates friendship and a common bond.  Here, Jesus shows that God is bonding with sinners who for him are His friends. 

 

3) When Jesus replied to the Pharisees, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.”  

 

In answer to the judgmental attitude of the Pharisees, Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” quoting Hosea 6:6.  He is telling them that instead of ritually offering sacrifices for sins, they can truthfully obtain God’s mercy by being merciful themselves.

There are 2 things I would like to reflect on.

First.  There are Catholics who think that through their own efforts they can obtain God’s mercy by making sacrifices, that is, by inflicting pain and suffering to oneself or by simply being more prayerful as atonement for one's sinfulness.  Jesus makes it clear that He does not desire our sacrifices but our mercy for fellow sinners.

Second.  About the judgemental attitude of the Pharisees.  Christians have no reason to be scandalized by the sins of others, for Jesus Himself came to reconcile sinners to Himself.  He did that once and for all when He offered Himself as a living sacrifice for our sins, which we always celebrate at Mass.  Pope Francis said: “The Eucharist is the bread of sinners not a reward of saints.”

With these, I can say that it is only by becoming merciful ourselves, can  we open our hearts to receive God's mercy. 

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

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