Hosea 6.3-6 | Romans 4.18-25 | Matthew 9.9-13

We begin the tenth week of Ordinary Time with Mother Church, deepening our knowledge of the Person of Jesus Christ and His teachings in order to grow in His discipleship.

Today the evangelist Matthew speaks to us about his calling by Jesus and his affirmative response.

Matthew was called Levi and, before becoming an apostle and evangelist, he worked for the Romans as a tax collector. It was a profession hated by the Jews, who considered these workers traitors to the nation and sinners, voluntarily serving the violent, unjust, and pagan rulers.

Surprisingly, Jesus called a tax collector to be His apostle, probably because He knew that Matthew had this profession out of necessity, and not out of complicity with the Romans. So much so that, when given the opportunity by Jesus, Levi rose to follow Him.

Some Pharisees—a group of Jews who considered themselves morally superior because they radically observed the Law of Moses, criticizing those who did not—questioned Jesus' disciples about His welcoming attitude toward sinners.

Jesus Himself answered the question, quoting a passage from the prophecy of Hosea—today's first reading: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (6.6), affirming that He had come to call sinners, not the righteous, like a doctor who cares for the sick and not the healthy.

The opportunity for salvation would be granted to all, without exception. Jesus believed in human beings and their capacity to accept divine help to convert, to abandon the sin that leads to death, and to embrace the Grace that leads to life. Matthew and many sinners became disciples of Jesus.

Let us abandon our Pharisaical tendency to label people, to judge them, and to condemn them. Jesus is powerful enough in love to attract repentant sinners to a new life of faith. The first announcement should be one of love and mercy, not of rigid laws that divide and distance people in families, communities, and society.

Today the prophet Hosea speaks to us of the insufficiency of the Jews' love compared to the Lord's deepest desire, which was the love and knowledge of God, more than sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Hosea prophesied in the 8th century BC, with the kingdom already divided into north (Israel) and south (Judah), under the threat of the Assyrian invasion of the north, which occurred in 722 BC.

The prophets agreed to understand the foreign invasions as a consequence of the Jews' infidelity to their covenant with the Lord. Despite offering sacrifices and burnt offerings in the temple, the Jews did not love the Lord sufficiently and did not know Him.

The religion of sacrifices must be replaced by the religion of love. Sacrifices without love are meaningless and are rejected by the Lord. The perfect sacrifice was offered by Christ once and for all on the Cross, precisely because it was motivated and carried out in love, for love, with love.

Today, the apostle Paul speaks to us in his letter to the Romans about the faith of Abraham, which was credited to him as righteousness, inspiring Christians.

Abraham was the first patriarch, to whom God revealed Himself. Even without knowing God so deeply, the elderly Abraham - accompanied by his elderly wife Sarah - believed in the divine promise of having numerous descendants who would inhabit a land given by God. Abraham's faith made him righteous before God.

The apostle taught that Christians should be inspired by the patriarch's faith, believing in Jesus Christ, who made them righteous before God through His death and resurrection.

There are many people who still do not know God and who ignore the salvation that Christ obtained for repentant sinners. Let us speak openly of God and help people awaken their dormant faith, so that they may have full life in this world and receive eternal salvation.