Join Father Chuck Dahm, a Dominican priest at St. Pius V Parish in Chicago, with A Word of Hope for the Feast of St. Matthew. In today's gospel, Jesus says something he says more than once: I have not come for the wise and the learned, or for the respectable. I have come for the outcast. I have come to heal the sick, not to take care of the healthy. Father Dahm walks through what Jesus actually did: he reached out to the poor and the sick, went to the lepers against the law, and welcomed women, foreigners, and even tax collectors like Zacchaeus and Matthew himself, the tax collector called to be an apostle. That focus won him the love of the people, and it's precisely why the ruling classes saw him as a threat and wanted him eliminated. Jesus had a reputation: he was the one who helped the poor. Then comes the hard question. Is our Church today known for working for the outcast, the poor, and the marginalized? Father Dahm is honest: in some places, absolutely, but in general, he doubts it. Standing before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he recalls her request to Juan Diego: build me a church where I can show compassion for the people. She had the very same approach. The invitation is to examine ourselves and our Church about how committed we are to reaching out to today's outcasts, whoever they may be: the LGBTQ person, women, the elderly, the unemployed and underemployed, the immigrant. We want our Church to have the reputation Jesus had: concerned with the outcast and the poor. ⏱️ **Timestamps** 0:00 – Greeting from St. Pius V Parish, Chicago 0:17 – "I have not come for the wise and the learned" 0:34 – "I've come to heal the sick, not the healthy" 0:51 – Jesus' clear focus on the outcast and marginalized 1:05 – The poor, the sick, and the lepers: against the law 1:16 – Women, foreigners, and tax collectors 1:27 – The Feast of St. Matthew: a tax collector called to be an apostle 1:43 – Why Jesus was crucified: a threat to the ruling classes 2:07 – His reputation: the one who helps the poor 2:17 – Is our Church known for the outcast today? 2:31 – "I have to say I doubt it" 2:40 – Standing before Our Lady of Guadalupe 2:46 – "Build me a church where I can show compassion" 2:59 – Questioning ourselves and our Church 3:12 – Who are today's outcasts? 3:32 – A Church with a reputation for the poor 🙏 If this reflection encouraged you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs a word of hope today. Turn on notifications so you never miss a new reflection. 📖 Today's Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13 📅 Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (September 21) 📍 Recorded at St. Pius V Parish, Chicago, Illinois #AWordOfHope #CatholicReflection #FeastOfStMatthew #StMatthew #GospelOfMatthew #Matthew9 #FatherChuckDahm #Dominicans #OurLadyOfGuadalupe #PreferentialOptionForThePoor #SocialJustice #Outcast #Mercy #CatholicSocialTeaching #DailyGospel #CatholicHomily #Scripture #BibleReflection #CatholicFaith #Chicago