Jesus taught us both by words, by action and by his attitudes: his miracles are also parables, expressed not in words but in the very action itself. The same is true of his other activities and the attitude he manifests in them.

We read of one such incident today: he called the tax-collector, Levi, to follow him. This incident is also a parable with several layers of meaning. Jesus called Levi without demanding any preliminary conditions: he accepted Levi just as he was: a tax-collector; since he was working for the Romans who occupied the Holy Land, he was an outcast. Jesus simply called him without explicitly demanding that he leave everything behind. He did not ask Levi to denounce the Romans or publicly confess the error of his ways. St. Paul marvels at the fact that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners [Rom 5:6]. The same wonderful truth is manifested in Levi's call: Jesus called him while he was still an outcast, and the call was an offer of grace. We are not called to be Jesus' disciples because we are good: we are called so that in responding to God's grace we may become good and holy people.