Called

Whom does Jesus call to serve?

When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, 'Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?'  When Jesus heard this, he said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.' - Mark 2:16-17

We can feel pretty special when we receive a call to serve.  Being singled out and asked to do something important like that is really an honor.

And yet,  we should really be humble. 

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells those questioning his ways that he has a mission and a purpose.  He has come to call those who are sinners.

So, if you are called, chances are you needed to straighten up and fly right.  That goes for all of us.

During this period of Lent, we are supposed to take a good hard look at ourselves and acknowledge that we are sinners in need of repentance.

We are like everyone else, not better or worse, and that can be difficult to accept, especially if we compare what we believe we know about ourselves with what we believe about others.

Once we start down that path, though, we are doomed to fail.  We will always find something in others that makes us believe they are worse sinners than we are.

So what is the message for us in this reading?

If we see ourselves as special because we are called to follow Jesus, then we should be something special for those we encounter, so they see Jesus in us.

All the while though, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus came to call the sinners to live a righteous and holy life in him.  So, we shouldn't let the call go to our heads.

We are specially chosen because we needed it.

More to come...