Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus tells the pharisees “Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” But like all things that Jesus says and asks in the bible, He is also telling this to us as well, today. But doesn’t that statement seem contradictory when compared to the long history of the Jewish people, and even Jesus’ own teachings? It seems at times, that the whole jewish story is all about sacrifice, The entire book of Leviticus is devoted to how that sacrifice is to be done. The great patriarchs like Abraham and David, made enormous sacrifices out of devotion for the lord, and Jesus even says that there is no greater gift than to lay down ones life for another.

So how do we reconcile this? The answer is that Jesus’ mission was not to compell us to give up everything for Him, He does not want anything we have, because it is all His already anyway. What God really wants is to save souls from slavery to sin. He wants us to turn away from our sins, and seek right relationship with Him over everything else. For us humans this is hard, because we are tied to this physical world, and things like pride, and lust and greed, have a powerful effect on us, and make us turn inward, and act selfishly. The answer to these sins is sacrifice. For pride the answer is prayer, for lust the answer is chastity, and for greed the answer is generosity. God does not desire our sacrifice, because He is a good Father, and wants nothing but joy and happiness for us. He wants us to enjoy the good things of this world. But because He is a good father, He also knows that sacrifice is the best way that we have to rightly order our hearts, minds and wills toward Him, and away from the temptations and snares of the devil.

God’s whole mission is to sinners, His desire is for mercy. He wants more than anything for us to turn away from our sin, and to join Him in eternity, and the way that happens is though sacrifice. Even the greatest among us like St. Joseph and Mary, John the baptist and some of the saints, were all called to make great sacrifice. Some like Mary, who was un-able to sin, was called to give everything, she was made to watch her son be sacfriced, in the worst imanginable way, for the salvation of the whole world. How much more are the rest of us, all great sinners, called to atone for our sin, to find our way back into reconciliation with God? We are in dire need of rescuing, and we owe a dept we can never pay back. The answer is to align our lives with that of Jesus and the salvation that he has won for us on the cross. When we do that then our lives then become an ongoing struggle to stay in right relationship with Him, and the lifeboat that He has thrown us, to hang onto, during our journey is sacrifice. But Sacrifice is for us, to help us reorient our lives back to Him. He does not need it, He only wants to offer us Mercy, but that mercy requires our sacrifice.

He is calling us sinners to Him, He wants our conversion, and He wants to live eternally with us. God, creator of the universe wants to have a personal deep relationship with you. And it is His mercy that allows that to happen. A mercy that is greater than all of our sin, and a love that is so selfless that He forgives all of our sins, the moment we ask for it. Can you even contemplate how amazing that is, I cant. But it is true. And He desires that reconciliation more than anything else. Fulton Sheen wrote it best when he said “God paid a price he did not owe, because we owed a dept that we could not pay.” The price He paid is mercy, and it is a more generous gift than all of the riches of the whole world. And He gives it freely to any and all that ask for it.

The devil’s only happiness comes from enslaving us in sin, and consequently depriving the Lord God of our conversion and forgiveness. And the favorite lie, that he loves to tell us is that your sin is too big, and that God will never forgive you for it. The devil wants you to believe that, and fall into despair. The Lord want to offer you mercy, redeem you, and bring you into His Kingdom. It may seem today, that the evil one is winning. But we know who wins in the end, and to that end Jesus is calling you to a better life, calling you to be righteous, calling you into eternity…, Will you answer His call?

Oh lord, help me today to hear your call, and to seek righteousness over sin.