Hosea 6:3-6; Psalm 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15, 23b; Romans 4:18-25; Matthew 9:9-13

The readings for this Sunday focus tightly on the question of what God looks for from us, of what things in us are pleasing to God. At the end of the first reading, God tells the Israelites "it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts." First of all then, God wants us to know and love Him. Later Jesus refers to this theme again at the end of the Gospel for this Sunday, but the theme is also emphasized immediately after the first reading in the responsorial psalm.

The responsorial psalm emphasized immediately that sacrifices are not sufficient for pleasing God: "Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your holocausts are before me always ... Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls, or is the blood of goats my drink?" Those who are truly pleasing to God are the people who praise and are faithful to Him in obedience: "Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High, then call upon me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me." We see here that God not only wants praise and obedience, but also actually wants us to call upon Him when we are in distress. Such calls for help themselves give glory to God if they come from a context of faithfulness. In the second reading again we find a theme of faith as pleasing to God, as Paul recalls how Abraham's faith was credited to him by God, and writes that our faith in Jesus Christ will be credited to us.

In the Gospel, when Jesus is challenged about His practice of eating with sinners, He responds "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." Since we are all sinners in need of the merciful healing of Jesus, I think Jesus is telling the Pharisees and us here that we need to acknowledge our need for His mercy, so that we can truly accept and embrace that mercy. Jesus also in turn wishes us to show mercy to others, since in so doing we demonstrate our consciousness that we too need mercy.

A few points should be remembered about the holocausts and sacrifices which in some ways seem to be dismissed in the readings for this Sunday. First of all, what is primarily being referred to here is the system of Temple sacrifices of the Old Testament, which had a place in the old covenant, but was incapable in itself of doing anything towards the salvation of those making the sacrifices and participating in the Temple liturgy. These liturgical sacrifices were unlike the sacraments of the new covenant, and above all the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which through the redemptive act of Jesus Christ can have real salvific effects for us. We really receive grace through the sacraments. Baptism and Confession can really cleanse us of sin. We really receive Jesus our Savior in the Eucharist. Thus, the sacraments are necessary for salvation in a way the sacrifices of the Old Testament could never be, and faithful reception of the sacraments is pleasing to God in a way that the practice of the Temple sacrifices in and of itself was not.

At the same time, of course, these readings serve as a reminder that mechanical participation in the sacramental life of the Church is not enough. If we reject the path of knowledge and love of God in our lives, mere physical attendance at Mass does not make us holy. Going to confession will not cleanse us if we do not really believe and acknowledge that we need the mercy of God. Reception of the sacraments cannot save us if we have no faith in receiving them.

The readings today indicate that sacrifices are not what pleases God, but anyone who has heard and read much of the Scriptures knows that God seemingly is pleased by certain types of sacrifices. The Temple sacrifices are not part of the New Covenant, but there are various points in the Gospels when Jesus appears to be calling His followers to make sacrifices for His sake. However, this is really only another aspect of God telling us that what is pleasing to Him is our love. Anyone who has loved someone knows that love involves sufferings and sacrifices. These may be embraced for the sake of the loved one, but they are still sacrifices. Indeed, a total commitment of love makes the loving person extraordinarily vulnerable to suffering. It is this kind of sacrifice God wants us to be willing to make: sacrifices of love. Jesus calls to each one of us as He calls to Matthew in the Gospel: "Follow me." If we hear His call with the ears of faith, and live our lives completely as followers of Jesus Christ in His Church, there will be sacrifices. If we truly love God above everything else, that will show in our lives and our sacrifices, and it is that love that God desires above everything else.