Gospel: March 8, 2025

March 8, 2025 (Saturday)

Saturday After Ash Wednesday

Psalter: Week 4 (Violet)

St. John of God, religious

Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

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

See Also

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1st Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14

Gospel: Luke 5:27-32

After this, Jesus went out, and noticing a tax collector named Levi, sitting in the tax office, he said to him, “Follow me!” So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus. Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house, and took their places at the table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their followers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it that you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.”

Reflection

“Follow me!”

“I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.” Conversion, or a change of heart, is fundamental to the purpose of the Season of Lent. The Scripture presented to us at the liturgies of the Church, as well as the prayers and devotions we practice during this period, help us reflect on the state of our relationship with God and our neighbor, so that our love and service can grow. Conversion comes after reflection. If we are unaware of our sins, we can’t repent of them; still less will we change our way of life. However, the realization that things need to change can come in different ways. For Levi, his encounter with Jesus brings together conversion and mission, all in one moment. Our call to conversion might be less dramatic, but the same Lord stands before us too, saying, “Follow me!” Let’s listen for that call through the Scriptures, through the liturgies and devotions of this sacred time, so that we are prompted to reflect and respond with a heart that is humbled and renewed by the Lord.