Celebrant: With trust in the Lord who calls us all to follow Him, we now present all our needs.

Deacon/Lector:

That the Church may foster in the world the spirit of obedience to the commandments of the Lord, and trust in His merciful help, we pray to the Lord...

That the People of God may exercise the love and mercy He desires us to show to the weakest members of our community, the sick and the unborn, we pray to the Lord…

That as Matthew heard Jesus' call, those being called to the priesthood today may hear and answer that call with joy, we pray to the Lord...

That the upcoming meeting of the United States Catholic Bishops may bear abundant fruit in the lives of Catholics and the spread of the Faith, we pray to the Lord...

That all who are ill, especially those who are not visited or remembered, may experience the healing power of the Holy Spirit in mind and body, we pray to the Lord...

That the deceased may be welcomed into the eternal peace and joy of heaven, we pray to the Lord...

Celebrant:

Father, As we show the mercy you require of us, Grant us the petitions we humbly present to You. As we trust you for all your needs, Give us the joy of your constant presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

No More Hippocratic Oath?...

“Historically before Hippocrates’ time, the doctor had a dual obligation that is to cure if they could and if they couldn’t cure, to do people in with hemlock. And that dual obligation, when it came to Hippocrates and that point in Greek History, Hippocrates basically said this is not working, nobody will ever trust us if we have this dual responsibility. So we are going to dump that one part of our obligation that is the killing, and only cure. And under no circumstances do any kind of killing. And of course what is happening is gradually that’s eroded and doctors are going back to the three pre-Hippocratic practices that Hippocrates tried to stop, that is not having hemlock readily available to kill people, not aborting people, and not having sex with them. Unfortunately in current medicine there is aborting people, there is euthanasia, and having sex. And you now begin to realize why the practice of medicine and the medical profession is losing credibility.” -- Statement by Dr. Philip Ney, Canadian psychiatrist.

Hos 6:3-6
Rom 4:18-25
Mt 9:9-13

Click here for a video link with homily hints.

The readings today lead us to reflect that God’s call – undertaken completely on his own initiative – is not a call based either on merit nor on human judgment. By either of those standards, neither Abraham, nor Matthew, nor the people of whom Hosea speaks would have been called by the Lord. But the readings make it clear that they were called. God’s people doubted him time and time again; Abraham and Sarah were wondering how God’s promise of descendants stood to reason, and the Pharisees objected to Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. God’s call just doesn’t meet our earthly standards.

Moreover, it is a call that transforms. Jesus calls the sinners, not in order to reward them for their sinful life, but in order to make them saints. This is true of his call addressed to individuals, or to entire nations, such as descended from Abraham.

Today, he calls us in the midst of a culture of death. He calls us in order to transform our culture, its practices, and its policies. He calls us to follow him, as he instructed Matthew, and this “following” means advancing his ways, proclaiming his truth, and defending life.

The fact that he calls also enables us to echo that call. Each in our own way, we can call people to participate in the work of advancing the Kingdom and building the culture of life. We are not content, as Christians, to observe those who do not follow the Lord. We await no invitation, but rather go boldly into the “others’” territory and invite them to an acceptance of God’s call that will transform their lives.