Gospel according to Matthew 9:9-13
What a wonderful encounter! Jesus never ceases to amaze us. His gaze is magnetic: it draws all those whose hearts thirst for love and who are willing to leave everything in order to allow themselves to be loved. Matthew had sought happiness in money, perhaps thinking he could enjoy life even by taking advantage of others. He possessed riches, but he did not possess joy. His hands were full, but his heart was empty, dark, and restless. And precisely there, in the poorest place of his wealth, Jesus passes by. Jesus looks at him. And that gaze changes everything. He does not reproach him for his past, He does not judge him, He does not wait for him to become better before loving him. He simply says to him: “Follow me.” It is as if He were saying: “Matthew, leave behind everything that promised you happiness but could not give it to you. Come with Me. Let yourself be loved.” And Matthew rises. He rises because, when one truly encounters Jesus, everything else suddenly loses its value. At last, he has found the treasure he was searching for without even knowing it: the living Love of God, before which every earthly riches fades. And this is exactly what made me fall madly in love with Jesus: He comes precisely where we are most fragile, He sits at the table of sinners, He enters into our wounds, and He loves us even before we are able to understand and change. He does not ask us for perfection; He asks us for a free heart, a heart emptied of everything that weighs it down, capable of receiving His love and allowing it to multiply within us. My Jesus, You passed before my life and looked at me as You looked at Matthew, with immense love. In Your gaze, I saw all the love of the Trinity. I beg You, my beloved Savior, call me again every day: “Follow me.” And grant that I may rise quickly, without hesitation, and run to You, leaving behind everything that does not speak to me of You. Because after encountering Your gaze, my Lord, I desire no other treasure: I want You, only You, ever more of You. I want to lose myself in Your Love and live my whole life madly in love with You.
-Rosanna Dora De Lucia
