Use your holiness to help a Sinner (SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (FEAST OF ST. MATTHEW

Use your holiness to help a Sinner (SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (FEAST OF ST. MATTHEW

Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13; Ps.19; Matthew 9:9-13

Use your holiness to help a Sinner

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. When we realize that this man called Matthew who was an Apostle and an Evangelist, was earlier on a tax collector, we come to understand that we are not celebrating the fruit of his effort but the grace of God in his life that chose him despite his sins and used him despite his past. When Jesus wants to use a person, he does not ask for an attractive and detailed Curriculum Vitae, rather he seeks the disposition of the heart.

In today’s gospel, Jesus called Matthew while he was busy “committing sin”. Tax collectors where hated because they were perceived to be joining forces with the Roman authorities in oppressing the Jews. Also, they will add to the tax of the people for their private gains. We are not told that Matthew requested conversion from Jesus but we can interpret a whole lot from his reaction to Jesus’ invitation.

First, Matthew saw greatness in Jesus and so counted himself privileged to be called by Jesus. Again, in an environment where people hated and avoided tax collectors, here is a Jew wanting to dine with him. To dine with someone means to share life with the person. It means that in the midst of so much rejection, Matthew found acceptance in Jesus; an acceptance that loved him but did not tolerate his sins. This was too awesome for him to bear alone. Charitably, he invited his fellow tax collectors and sinners to share in this rare and unexpected acceptance.

Beloved, no one is ever able to experience conversion all by himself. We need the grace of God. More often than not, God’s grace works through human instruments. So many persons who are on the wrong side of life, persist in what they do not because they desire to persist but because they have no one to help them get out of the situation. All those who ought to help are distracted with condemning. See, every sinner is like the man in John chapter 5 who had been sick for 38 years because he had no one to help him get into the water when it is stirred. We have no moral right to write off someone we have not offered to help ourselves.

As baptized Christians, we all carry the power of the resurrected Christ. This power enables us to turn evil to good, sorrow to joy, darkness to light. Consequently a Christian who wants to be only where things are perfect is a Christian who does not understand the tenets of his or her vocation. The power of light is manifested in darkness.

We all desire a world that is peaceful and devoid of evil. Our world will become a better place to be not when we condemn and castigate wrong doers but when we make it possible and easy for them to be turned around. When Saints continue to avoid sinners, sinners will find solace among other sinners. Such saints become responsible for the conglomeration of evil. Could there be anything saintly in conglomerating evil?