The Gospel for Friday the 13th week in Ordinary Time is taken from St. Matthew, 9th chapter, 9th through the 13th verse. As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, follow me. And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.

The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, 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. Jesus calls himself a physician, a doctor.

No one goes to a doctor and hides their disease. No one should go to God and hide what we have inside of us. We hide it from ourselves, not from him. So nothing is more important than knowing that whenever we go to God, we’re going to someone who knows we have a disease or we wouldn’t be there. And he’s not ashamed of us for who we are. He only wants to heal.

That’s the beauty of the God who is revealed in Jesus. The Closing Prayer God, you have done something for us that we can hardly begin to imagine. And that is, you no longer look at us as someone who has to earn or deserve your favor. No, you are looking at us as we are in our most unattractive state. And that’s when you love us the most, when we’re in touch with that. Help us never to hide from you, and especially not to hide from ourselves and our weaknesses.

And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.