From the Tax Table to the Dinner Table

Reflection Date: February 21, 2026 Saturday after Ash Wednesday 
Daily Readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14; Luke 5:27-32

Children of God:
Recently, a beautiful piece of news came from the United States. 

A Filipino priest was elected abbot of Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, a well-known Trappist monastery. 

Fr. Gerard Jonas R. Palmares, the newly-elected abbot served 19 years as a priest in the Archdiocese of Lipa, Philippines, the last 11 years of which as Archdiocesan Chancellor, before answering God’s call to the monastic life.

The Mepkin Abbey is part of the Roman Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists.

For many people, this was a surprising moment because the community is small, contemplative, and rooted in a different culture. 

The new abbot grew up in the Philippines, far from the quiet marshlands of South Carolina. 

His election showed that God’s call often crosses cultures, backgrounds, and expectations. 

A man from Asia was entrusted with shepherding a monastery in America. 

It was another reminder that God writes surprising stories.

In the gospel story of Luke, Jesus also made a surprising choice. 

He called Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. Tax collectors in that time were disliked and considered sinners because of their profession. 

Yet Jesus looked at Levi and saw more than his past. He invited him to become a disciple, and Levi immediately left everything behind. 

The religious leaders complained about this, but Jesus answered that he came not to call the righteous but sinners. 

What are our inspirations for today?

First, calling is always the initiative of God.

Levi was sitting at his tax booth when Jesus invited him to follow (Luke 5:27). He was not praying in the temple or studying the law. He was doing a job that many people despised. 

Yet that ordinary and even questionable place became the setting of a divine calling.

This teaches us that God does not wait for perfect backgrounds before calling someone. He meets people where they are and invites them to something greater. 

The call of Jesus can reach anyone, whether in an office, a marketplace, or a monastery. No life situation is beyond the reach of grace.

Today, we are invited to believe that God can call us even in the most ordinary circumstances. 

Holiness does not begin when everything is clean and ready. It begins the moment a person says yes to the voice of Christ.

Second, God’s call transforms the one being called.

After accepting the call, Levi hosted a dinner for Jesus and many guests (Luke 5:29). The table that others judged became a table where grace was present.

The Pharisees murmured because Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:30). They believed holiness meant staying away from imperfect people. 

Jesus reversed that idea by saying that the sick need a doctor (Luke 5:31-32). 

This challenges us today to examine whom do we welcome into our lives. 

Every table where compassion is practiced can become a place of conversion.

Children of God:
The calling of Levi tells us that God chooses in surprising ways. He does not follow human expectations or social labels. 

What matters to Jesus is a willing heart, not a flawless past. 

Many people still feel unworthy of God because of their history or mistakes. But the gospel reminds us that Christ specializes in new beginnings. 

He sees possibilities. He turns ordinary lives into extraordinary missions. 

The Church continues to grow because Jesus keeps calling unlikely people. 

Our task is simply to respond with courage and trust. Like Levi, we are invited to rise, follow, and prepare a place for others at the table of mercy.