I am sure that you have had those moments in life when you didn’t feel like going to church on Sunday. The weather was bad, you felt tired after a long and busy week, and there was a good program on TV. However, you decided to go to mass that morning anyway, and afterwards you admitted that it was worth going, you were happy you went. The music was wonderful, the liturgy was great, the homily was good, and you even met that friend you had not seen for many years. God, it is good to be here, you thought. Or you went to confession after many months, or years. Again, you might have procrastinated many times; you didn’t really want to go and confess your sins. But then one day, you went. And what that confession brought you was peace, joy, and happiness. I am so glad I went, you thought afterwards. Something similar happened to that sinner, the tax collector Levi. When Jesus called him to “follow me”, he left everything behind and followed Jesus. That one quick but important decision changed his life. It brought him happiness and joy. “Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.” We all have experienced those moments when we felt lazy, or just didn’t want to go to church, or to confession, or we were too tired after work to participate in the parish mission that evening. But then, after we did go, we were as happy as Levi.
