Twelve “rogues” did change the world…..Be careful who you “write-off”….”Rouges” sometimes surprise you!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel we hear from St Luke how Jesus befriends a known sinner……Levi was a tax collector and in the eyes of the Jewish people, that made him a trader….Interestingly enough, Levi is the very man who changed his name to Matthew and wrote one of the four gospels….Just shows you if you give someone a chance, they might surprise you!…But let me not digress…..Levi was so happy Jesus befriended him that he gave a great banquet…And as one would imagine…Because Levi was on “the wrong side of the tracks”, all his friends were also public sinners…But this did not phase Jesus…However, “polite society” and the leaders of the Jewish people were scandalized….Addressing those who took an issue to Jesus making friends with public sinners, this is what 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.”…….Very often people compare ourselves with people who “do not have their act together”…..Its a way to make ourselves “feel good”….In reality, we all are in need of God’s mercy…..Imagine if we compared ourselves to saints?…Or to Jesus himself?…..I have said this publicly before and I will say it again…Its because I am a sinner - And know it - That is why I am Catholic….I fully know what I am capable of as a man…Therefore, like a beggar, I come to the altar to receive God’s grace…The minute you “think” you are better than someone else, you become worse……With that said, the fact that we are all sinners should not be used as an excuse to stay that way…..We must strive each and every day to purify our words, thoughts and actions, trusting in Sacramental grace to transform us into the people we were born to be…In the meantime….Never “write off” a person who you may “think” has “no hope”…..Many times those are the people who respond to God’s call and shake the foundations of the world…If you don’t believe me…..Levi in today’s Gospel should convince you of what I just stated….Levi not only was transformed but became a Gospel writer, who later became a saint who gave his life for Christ…..Sometimes, the “bad guys” will surpass you!

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.”

A priest once told me that very rarely Jesus in found in the front row of the Church, more times than not he is found in the back of the Church broken and alone…And if you go to him in the back of the Church, he will take you by the hand and bring you to the front of the Church….Do we judge others?….Now, I am not talking about making excuses for bad behavior….Objectively speaking actions are good and bad…However, only God can judge the person - That is not “our job”…I have found that a hand of friendship offered to someone can go along way…And many times people will surprise you….Being friends with someone does not mean you have to see “eye to eye” on everything…It just means you meet them exactly where they are…....People more times than not do not respond to sermons - When they are “preached too” inside the walls of a Church or outside on the street…However, I will tell you what does get people’s attention - Your actions!….The best way to communicate the Truth of the Catholic faith is to live it radically…Trust me - People who know you are Catholic watch you very closely….And a consistent witness to the life of Jesus Christ “speaks” very loudly!….In the meantime, if a person does not “see life the way you do”…That does not mean you cannot be friends with them….In time, the witness of your life…The joy and peace that is tangibly apart of your life will be noticed…And that witness will spark questions within the hearts of those around you….Not everyone will become a saint like Levi in today’s Gospel, who after one invitation to a dinner from Jesus gave up everything and followed him……However, the conversion of those around us starts with an extended hand of friendship…..That means you cannot and should not “write people off”….Never underestimate a consistent witness to the Gospel….Whether you realize it or not…People are watching…So know what I say…Let them see!…Leave the rest to God

“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth”

Today in the Gospel we see Jesus extend a hand to a known sinner…And in doing this “polite society” took offense…..Do we give people a chance?…Are we quick to write people off?……Never let what other people “think” of you stop you from pursuing your life as a Roman Catholic in the Public Square…We can not control what other people “think” of us, but what we can control is ourself……..If you look at the first twelve guys Jesus chose to build his Church…They were not exactly what we would call “The Best of The Best”….They were uneducated men….Rough around the edges - And that is being kind!…However, I will tell you what they did have…They had heart…They had grit…They never gave up…And they fought until the end and gave their life for Christ and died martyrs in the far reaches of the known world….Maybe that is why Jesus chose them - You think?…..Give me twelve committed men like that and I would change the world!…Wait….That is exactly what happened…..Twelve “rogues” did change the world…..Be careful who you “write-off”….”Rouges” sometimes surprise you!