10th Sunday Year A - Homily 2

Homily 2 - 2008

Tax collectors were people who made a living by working at a job that, among other things, annoyed the rich, but crippled the poor and those who struggled to make ends meet.  Jesus was criticised for going out for meals (and having a drink) with them.  In fact, he asked one of them to become a close collaborator in his own project.  I wonder if Jesus enjoyed doing that?

When challenged, he defended his actions by quoting a line attributed to Yahweh, that appeared in the writings of the prophet Hosea: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice – (a key quotation, actually, for understanding the Gospel of Matthew).  

Tax-collectors were not heavily into mercy.  Jesus saw tax-collectors as sick, needing the doctor.  People who oppress the needy are far from experiencing deep inner peace, even if they have big houses and fast cars.  I wonder if Jesus’ openness to them made any difference… He hoped it would.  It’s not the healthy who need the doctor, he said, but the sick.

Were their critics sick, too? They didn’t see themselves that way, but, then, a lot of sick people are into denial.  Theirs was a different sickness … but equally crippling, and perhaps more dangerous because undiagnosed.  In the Gospels, Pharisees didn’t come across as peace-filled, gracious and warm people.  Jesus didn’t get far with most of them.  Are any people heavily into criticism peace-filled, gracious and warm people?

Jesus said that he didn’t make a practice of calling the virtuous – they wouldn’t join his lot, for a start, and, without profound conversion – (without, somehow, hitting the wall) – they would have put other people off, rather than attracting them.  Jesus, instead, called sinners – like Matthew.  He had more hope with them.  He didn’t succeed in changing the system, but helped  some of them, at least, to turn around.  His disciples struggled a bit to be really convinced of their need for the doctor – but, after facing their brokenness, their cowardice and fear, and then, experiencing the risen Jesus’ unchanged love and respect for them, the healing worked.

Where do we stand?  We don’t personally collect taxes, like Matthew and his fellow tax-collectors; but we are beneficiaries of a system that insists on collecting crippling interest payments from third world nations, that keeps their crop prices down and tilts the playing field to its own advantage.  We’re caught up in the sin of the world … and most of us aren’t conspicuous for clamouring for substantial change, and for clearly willing to accept the cost.  We belong to the morally sick, needing the doctor.  Like Matthew and his fellow disciples, we have made a start, but struggle to bit to be convinced of our deep need.

Some of us may be more like the Pharisees, insightful critics of everyone else… though, perhaps, unlike the Pharisees, we do feel an inner pain beneath our criticisms.  Whatever our sin, Jesus yearns to heal us.  He certainly made a great job of Matthew, the former tax-collector, and of the former Pharisee, Paul, one of whose letters we read from in today’s Second Reading.

While today’s Gospel is quite challenging, it is also wonderfully encouraging.  Thank God we’re sick.  Thank God we’re sinners.  And the more we are convinced, the more quickly we can be healed.  Surprisingly, it’s sinners whom Jesus calls.