SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST 2024.

TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE & EVANGELIST.

FIRST READING
His gifts were that some should be apostles, some evangelists.
EPHESIANS 4: 1 – 7, 11 – 13

Brethren: I, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 19: 2 – 3, 4 – 5 (R.) 5a

R/. Their sound goes forth through all the earth.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
Day unto day conveys the message,
and night unto night imparts the knowledge. R/.

No speech, no word, whose voice goes unheeded;
their sound goes forth through all the earth,
their message to the utmost bounds of the world. R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia.
We praise you, O God; we acclaim you as the Lord; the glorious band of apostles sings your praise, O Lord!
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Follow me. And he rose and followed him.
MATTHEW 9: 9 – 13

At that time: As Jesus passed on, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

21 Gunyana 2024 – Mugovera, Zuvaguru raMateu Mupositori

Chiverengo chokutanga VaEfeso 4,1-7.11-13

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mutsamba yaPauro kuvaEfeso

1 Hama dzadiwa, ini musungwa akasungirwa Tenzi ndinokukumbirai kuti mugare upenyu hunowirirana noupenyu hwamakadaidzirwa. 2 Ivai nemwoyo wokuzvirereka, nemwoyo munyoro, nemwoyo murefu muchitirirana zvine rudo, 3 muine shungu dzokuchengetedza Mweya wokubatana kwamakaita makasunganidzwa norugare.
4 Kunongova nomuviri mumwechete, naMweya mumwechete sokudaidzirwa kwamakaitwa chitarisiro chimwechete pamakadaidzwa. 5 Kuna Tenzi mumwechete nechitendero chimwechete, noruombeko rumwechete. 6 Kuna Mwari mumwechete, Baba vedu tose vari pamusoro pavose vanoshanda, nomuna vose uye muna vose.
7 Mumwe nomumwe wedu akapiwa nyasha zvichienderana nokukura kwechipo chaakapiwa naKristu.
11 Zvipo zvake zvaiva zvokuti vamwe vave vapositori, vamwewo vave vaporofita, uye vamwe vave vaparidzi veShoko Rakanaka, vamwe vari vafudzi, vamwe vari vadzidzisi, 12 kuti vatsvene vawaniswe ruzivo rwebasa rezvokwaMwari kuti muviri waKristu uumbwe 13 kusvikira tose tave vamwechete muchitendero nomukuziva Mwanakomana waMwari kusvikira tave vanhu vabve zano, kusvikira tava nechimiro chaKristu chizere.

Shoko raMwari

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira Nziyo 19,1-2.3-4. (D – 4)

(D)- Mazwi avo anosvika kwakaperera nyika.

1 Matenga anoparidza mbiri yaMwari,
ziendanakuenda rinodura pachena mabasa aMwari.
2 Zuva roga roga rinotaura kusvika kune rimwe,
nousiku humwe hunosvitsa kunohumwe ruzivo irworwu. –

(D) Mazwi avo anosvika kwakaperera nyika

3 Hapana kutaura kana mashoko, kana izwi rawo rinonzwika.
4 Asi izwi rawo rinosvika pasi pose,
mazwi avo anosvika kwakaperera nyika,
akaitira zuva musha maari. –

(D) Mazwi avo anosvika kwakaperera nyika

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:

Areruya, Areruya Tinokurumbidzai Mwari, tinokuomberai saTenzi

Boka rinembiri raVapositori rinokuimbirai nokukutunhidzai. Areruya

Shoko Rakanaka Mateu 9,9-13

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naMateu

9 Nerimwe zuva Jesu akaona mumwe murume anonzi Mateu agere pahofisi yomutero. Akati kwaari, “Nditevere.” Iye akabva asimuka omutevera.
10 Paakanga akagara pakudya mumba, vateresi vazhinji navatadzi vakauya vakagara pasi, vachidya naJesu navadzidzi vake. 11 VaFarisei pavakazviona vakati kuna vadzidzi vake, “Sei mudzidzisi wenyu achidya navateresi navatadzi?”
12 Paakazvinzwa akati, “Vakukutu havadi chiremba asi vanorwara. 13 Endai munodzidza izvi kuti zvinorevei zvokuti, ‘Ndinoda tsitsi kwete chibayiro’ nokuti handina kuuya kuzodaidza vakarurama asi vatadzi.”

Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Seeking True Satisfaction
Saturday, September 21, 2024

“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “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.” (Matthew 9:11–13)

Just prior to this passage quoted above, Jesus saw Matthew, a tax collector, sitting at his custom post collecting taxes. Jesus walked up to him and said two simple words: “Follow me.” What did Matthew do? He got up and followed Jesus and invited Him to his home for a meal. When the Pharisees saw this, they acted with judgment and cruelty. They said, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Their reaction and Jesus’ subsequent response to them says much about the goodness of our Lord.

When Jesus said that He “did not come to call the righteous but sinners,” He was not speaking of the truly righteous. For example, the most righteous person alive at that time, other than Jesus, was His dear mother. And we can be certain that not only did Jesus call her but that she always responded with her whole heart. However, Jesus was speaking of those who were “self-righteous.” A self-righteous person is one who thinks highly of themself, ignoring the truth of God but choosing, instead, to elevate their own image in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Simply put, to be self-righteous is to believe a lie and, in fact, to believe the worst of lies. It’s the worst of lies because this sin has the effect of causing a person to remain obstinate and stuck in their sin. The self-righteous person does not see any need for repentance or change in their life. Therefore, they are not open to the Word of God and to allowing that Word to transform them.

Saint Matthew, whom we honor today, was different. He was a sinner indeed. Most likely he was greedy and overly attached to his money. Tax collectors were not highly regarded at that time because they were Jews who worked for the Romans and were, therefore, seen as traitors to their own people. Additionally, they were seen as thieves, because they often extorted more than they should receive so that they could pocket some of the money. For this reason, many Jews also feared the tax collectors because they knew the tax collectors had Rome’s support in this illicit activity.

What’s amazing is that Jesus approached Matthew, the sinner and tax collector, and confidently called him to be a follower. Most likely, Jesus could see into his heart. He knew Matthew was not happy with his life and was searching for more. Therefore, as soon as Jesus called him to follow Him, it is clear that something took place within Matthew’s soul. The fact that he got up and followed our Lord shows that the spiritual draw to Jesus was far more powerful than his desire for earthly wealth.

This same truth applies to each and every one of us. No matter what we find ourselves drawn to and no matter how we seek satisfaction in life, the supernatural truth is that there is only one thing that will satisfy. We could have all the money in the world, all earthly power and prestige, and still, in the depths of our souls, we will not find peace until we turn to Jesus and follow Him. Some people learn this truth early in life, some later in life, and some never discover it at all.

Reflect, today, upon how satisfied you are with your life. Is there something missing? If so, look at your goals and priorities in life. What do you spend most of your time thinking about, talking about and daydreaming about? If it is not our Lord Who occupies your mind, heart and every desire, then you can expect that you will experience discontentment in life. In that case, look to the witness of Saint Matthew. He is a saint today because he responded to Jesus’ invitation to abandon his life of sin and greed so as to follow Him in poverty. But in that worldly poverty and abandonment of earthly things, Saint Matthew became abundantly rich and will remain so forever in Heaven.

PRAYER:
Lord of all satisfaction, You call all Your people to follow You. Please open my mind and heart to that call so that I can not only hear You but also respond with all my heart. Please help me to detach from the things of this world that keep me from You, so that I can follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You.