“Being inspired by St Mathew to go to the Lord for His Healing and Life-Saving Prescription!”

(Based on the Feast of St Mathew, the Apostle)

There are a few things which are not understood in life…
(Well, don’t worry…. we are not getting too philosophical here…!)

One among these… which has perhaps, intrigued many, is…
… a physician’s (doctor’s) medicine prescription!

(Are physicians reading this more closely now??)

The physician usually is a busy person, with many patients to be attended to and many in distress seeking his/her advice.

In the midst of this heavy work, the medical prescription is often scribbled down.

Many times their handwriting goes for a toss!

Many times the legibility of this writing is hard to decipher!

This untidily written prescription of medicines is often not much understood by the patient.

This quickly scribbled medicine prescription is often criticized by the patient’s attendants…
… “Why can’t they write neatly?
… “Who can understood this indecipherable paper?”

But the Physician is quite at ease with the prescription!

The poor writing doesn’t disturb?
The illegibility doesn’t come in the way.
The scribbled letters don’t prevent from suggesting the right medicine.

The physician’s prescription in the hands of people who do not understand and grasp, is a cause of irritation and criticism!

The physician’s prescription in the hands of person who understands them well, is a cause of life-giving medicines!

The script is the same, but…
… to the one who fails to understand, it becomes a basis of cribbing and complaining
… to the one who understands it well, it becomes the source of life and vitality

The Gospel of the Day is nice setup – a Physician, a chief patient, other patients & some complaining people! (Mt 9:9-13)

The Physician is the Lord Himself…

The chief patient is Matthew, the tax collector…
The few other patients are the other sinners and tax collectors…
The set of complaining people are the scribes and the Pharisees…

Jesus, the Great Physician is out on His regular rounds…
… of nursing the wounds of people with His soothing bandages
… of strengthening the brokenness in people with His powerful words
… of touching the miseries and sicknesses of people by His healing touches

On one such round, He comes across Matthew, the tax collector (Mt 9:9a)

He sees him busy at his desk, counting the money, exchanging coins…

Jesus sees in Matthew, a man who perhaps has indulged in cheating…
Jesus sees in Matthew, a man who has been looked down badly by the local people…

The physician Jesus, sees in Matthew, a patient who is sick and in trouble.

And so, He scribbles down a prescription…”Follow Me” (Mt 9:9b)

The patient, with this prescription is happy and relieved…
… because he realises, the Physician has given him a prescription that will bring him life!

Matthew must have not understood much of this prescription…
… but he follows the great Physician!

However, the other people who watch and see this prescription… fail to understand it!

And they begin to complain and groan, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mt 9:11)

Yes, the Physician’s prescription in the hands of people who do not understand & grasp, is a cause of irritation and criticism!

The Physician’s prescription in the hands of people who understands them well, is a cause of life-giving medicines!

But Jesus, the Great Physician of Galilee, knows well & is confident of the prescription that He has given to His patient.

And so He boldly proclaims, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:12)

Is any of us sick among us?

Spiritually sick… with crisis with God or difficulties in prayer life or a standstill in faith?

Emotionally sick… with hard feelings hitting our life or unable to handle various moods?

Physiologically sick… with painful diseases and ailments or troubling aches, hurts and ills?

Financially sick… with businesses and jobs going down the drain and no hopes seen ahead?

Socially sick… with ill-acceptance by others and painful rejection by those whom we love?

Then the Great Physician is out here… to heal and touch us!

No matter whether the prescription…
… is not understood by us
… is criticized by other people

It makes perfect sense to the One who has prescribed it!

It makes perfect sense to the One who is to give the medicines!

The Great Physician is available…

Come, let us go to Him for His Healing and Life-Saving Prescription!

Happy Feast of St Matthew!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH AND HIS SPIRIT

“Behold, I am doing a new thing.”
Two prophetic lines were to develop, one leading to the expectation of the Messiah, the other pointing to the announcement of a new Spirit.
They converge in the small Remnant, the people of the poor, who await in hope the “consolation of Israel” and “the redemption of Jerusalem.”
We have seen earlier how Jesus fulfils the prophecies concerning himself.

We limit ourselves here to those in which the relationship of the Messiah and his Spirit appears more clearly. (Cf. CCC # 711)