First Reading: (1 Samuel 9:1–4, 17–19; 10:1)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 21:2–3, 4–5, 6–7)
Response:
“Lord, in your strength the king is glad.”
Alleluia: Jesus said: "Those who are sick need a physician; I have come to call sinners".
Alleluia.
Gospel: (Mark 2:13–17)
Jesus walks by the sea and sees Levi sitting at the tax booth. He says only:
“Follow me.”
Levi rises and follows.
Later, Jesus eats in Levi’s house with many tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees question His behavior. Jesus answers:
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick.
I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Theme:
Jesus does not wait for people to become clean before calling them. He calls first, and heals along the way. In other words, He doesn't call the perfected, He calls first and perfect the people He call later.
Reflection
Saul is chasing donkeys.
Levi is collecting taxes.
Neither is praying in the temple. Neither is on retreat. Yet God steps directly into their ordinary work and changes everything.
This is how God usually moves, quietly, unexpectedly, inside normal life.
We may feel like our days are full of “lost donkey” errands: work, errands, fatigue, paperwork, family logistics, unfinished plans. But Scripture says: God is not waiting for a more spiritual version of our life to call us. He calls us where we are.
Saul is anointed with oil, not for status, but for service. The psalm reminds us that true strength is not personal greatness but dependence on God’s love. Identity rooted in performance will always shake; identity rooted in God will not be moved.
Then comes Levi. Jesus does not lecture him. He does not test him. He simply says, “Follow me.” And Levi gets up. That is grace: not perfection first, but movement.
When Jesus eats with sinners, He reveals God’s heart. The Church is not a museum of the holy, it is the waiting room of the Divine Physician. If we feel inconsistent, weak, distracted, or compromised, we are not disqualified. You are exactly who the Physician came for.
What is today asking us:
Let God speak in our work, not just in prayer time.
Build our worth on His love, not our performance.
Bring our sickness to the Physician instead of hiding it.
When He says, “Follow me,” rise, even if we don’t feel ready.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You called Saul in the middle of an errand
and Levi in the middle of his work.
Call me again today in the middle of my ordinary life.
Remind me that I am anointed for your service,
not by my strength but by your love.
Heal what is sick in me,
and give me courage to rise and follow you.
Saint Anthony, Abbot, pray for us.
Amen.
God bless you
Have a great weekend
Pal Ronnie
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