Sunday Reflection (June 11, 2023)

In this week’s Scripture Reading (Matthew 9:9-13) a carpenter who was also the son of a carpenter gives an imperative, a command. Interestingly, Jesus did not say, “Accept me as your personal Lord and Savior,” but “Follow me!” This entails much more than the heart; it is the heart and soul and giving it our all. It is like that Great Commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus Christ certainly lived such a life, and he invites us to “Follow him.”

Yes, we are not disciples in the sense of the twelve disciples, but we are the fruit of their labors in Christ’s Church. We are learning, like them, to become disciples who follow Jesus. May we, like Matthew, rise up and follow Jesus and bring healing and restoration to the world.