First Reading I Samuel 9:1-4,17-19; 10:1 Gospel Mark 2:13-17

Our first reading tells of the call of Saul to be the first king of Israel. It looks as if Saul will be a great king. He seems to have everything going for him. But we know the rest of the story: Saul strays from God. He is eventually rejected and meets a terrible death.
The gospel tells of a corrupt person, a tax collector. Tax collectors in ancient times were notoriously corrupt and evil. Jesus did not avoid sinners; he called them to become saints. He calls Levi (or Matthew), and Matthew immediately leaves his former life. Jesus dines at the home of Matthew with other sinners. When questioned about his associations, he says, “Well people don’t need a doctor; sick people do.”
So what about our lives? We are probably neither all good nor all bad. Each day we make choices which will determine our lives and our eternity. Let us pray that we may always choose the good.