The more we give...

In the readings for the first Saturday after Ash Wednesday, We see a theme of purification. In the first reading, we are called to give up the things that we have and we will be given more.

We are called not to give from our leftovers, we are called to give from our need. If we give what we have left over, is it really a sacrifice? We can see this if we look at the life of Jesus and model our lives according to His. This is where we can see the connection with the Responsorial Psalm, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.” If we emulate Christ and conform our hearts to His, then we can more closely live out the Truth of Christ.

Lastly, in the Gospel, we see Jesus having dinner with a tax collector named Levi. There is an uproar when Jesus does this because this man, Levi, is not liked. Jesus says that he has come not to call the righteous, but he has come for the repentance of sinners. We are all in need of the mercy of God, and if we wholeheartedly turn to Him with proper contrition, there is no limit to the mercy that He is just waiting to pour out upon us. What a better way to prepare our hearts during this lenten season for the coming of Christ! 

Let us pray that each one of us may come to know our Lord in a deeper, more intimate way. It is in this relationship with Him that we will begin to emulate His life.

Author: Mallory Wainwright, Theology