Saturday after Ash Wednesday
If I don’t recognize a need for God, God can’t do much for me or with me. Perhaps that’s why desperate people—poor people—turn to God. Their needs are significant; only God can satisfy them. When I have everything, God ends up playing second fiddle in my life.
Levi is neither desperately poor nor exceedingly rich. He’s neither “religious” in the eyes of those versed in religion nor “spiritual” in terms of having an intimate relationship with God. But, unlike the Pharisees and the teachers, who firmly believe they’re spiritual masters, Levi is open to what Jesus might offer.
What fills me this Lent? Am I so full of social media and secular culture that I don’t even feel a need for change—a desire for more? Am I prepared to invite God into my life—make the Lord the guest of honor—even if that means being criticized by others?
Isaiah puts it differently. Am I prepared to put my interests second and be attentive to the Lord, the needy, the oppressed, and others? I might not need anything personally, but others have needs.
What can I offer? Levi was only a tax collector. If God could use Levi, God can use me.
Prayer
Empty me, O Lord, of the many preoccupations that fill my daily routine. Fill me with an awareness of the needs of others. Lead and guide me, O Lord, so that I become more like You in what I say and do. Amen.
Fr. Richard Myhalyk, S.S.E. ’66
First Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14
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