9th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Conflict and division is rife where people gather. The first disciples were no different. They are very different personalities. Each one is burdened with his own unique set of limitations. Peter, the rock upon which the whole foundation stands, is tempestuous, erratic and given to violent outbursts. At one point Jesus declared him a spokesman for Satan. Peter of course would eventually deny the Master. Hence the call of the disciples is preceded by a call to repentance. If they are to bring about change in the world they must first change themselves.
The sons of Zebedee, James and John, were extremists, to the extent that Jesus himself dubbed them Sons of Thunder. Thomas called the whole project into question after the Resurrection. He was convinced it was all a grand con-trick. Simon the Zealot was an extreme nationalist, who opposed Roman rule. Matthew was a tax-collector, a supporter of Roman rule.
In short, the disciples chosen by Jesus represented the broad spectrum of human sin and frailty. Hence, the call to repentance precedes the call to discipleship. If they are to change the world, the disciples must first furnish evidence that they are willing to change themselves. And they furnished that evidence by abandoning their lucrative fishing businesses. In human terms the project was doomed from the beginning. But redemption rather than success was the aim of Jesus. Redemption is brought about because of sin, not despite it. This is the good new of Jesus Christ. His church is founded on human weakness.
And here we find the real significance of the meal which follows on the call of Matthew. Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees for not respecting the traditional taboos that surrounded tax collectors and sinners. But Jesus replies with a proverb that would have been familiar to all his listeners: "It is not the healthy who need the doctor but the sick." Then he adds a quote from the prophet Hosea: "What I want is mercy, not sacrifice." His accusation is that they have become so obsessed with ritual that they have forgotten the central demands of religion, which is mercy! Religion as you use it banishes people to the margins. Authentic religion will gather people together. And he uses the meal as a symbolic act. Saint and sinner sat down together with Jesus at the centre. There is no better image of the Eucharist.