Although Christ calls us out of sin, he initially meets us where we are—within our sinful state and not outside it. But as we hear in today’s gospel, this brought him into conflict with the Scribes and the Pharisees who condemned his eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. Misguided humility and a fundamental mistrust of Christ’s love can have us hesitating to invite Christ into our hearts because they are still a long way from being pure and undefiled. However, we need to remember that the privilege of Christ dwelling in our hearts in love is not the reward for having perfected and purified ourselves, but rather the culminating fruit of having welcomed him (as did Matthew) into hearts that were, as yet, anything but pure and whole. A further reminder that Christ the Divine Physician knocks at the door of our hearts, not because we are healthy, but because we are sick. In doing so, he longs to heal us and lead us out of the misery of exile and death into the joy and fullness of that Eternal Life intended for all God’s beloved children.
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