Feast Day of St Matthew

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, was born in Capernaum and was working as a tax collector when Jesus called him.

And when Jesus passed on from thence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he said to him: Follow me. And he arose up and followed him.

And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.  And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples: Why does your master eat with publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. Go then and learn what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.

Matthew 9:9-13 (Related reading for the day:  1 Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13)

Jesus called Matthew at a particular time: when He knew that Matthew was ready to accept Him.  He calls each of us in this same way.  When you are called to the Truth, do you harden your heart or do you  soften your heart  and make it ready for Gods love (Hebrews 3:15)?  Matthew had probably heard of Jesus, because his fame had been spreading throughout the region by the time Jesus called him. When Jesus said "follow me", Matthew was moved to follow Him, because Jesus could provide what others would not: healing, not just of the physical kind but of the spiritual kind.

We also read here that the Pharisees were bothered by Jesus eating with known sinners.  His reply is very simple:  a doctor doesn't go where healthy people are, but where there are sick people.  The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care.  Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people who were not like themselves.  Jesus said, "I came not to call the righteous, but to call the sinners."

Ironically the orthodox were just as needy as the ones they despised ("All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."- Romans 3:23)!  Jesus does not abide with those who think that they are righteous, or who think that they are deserving of the glory of God.  Instead He shows here that it is the sinner, in need of God's mercy, who is called to repentance and to spiritual life.  He says on several occasions "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6), because those who think that they are worthy of God despise the sinner and are not merciful.  They instead get caught up in their worship, their emotions, and the sacrifices they make for others who they feel are not deserving of it.  They feel put-off by others who do not live up to their standards, because they see themselves as righteous and deserving of the glory of God.  The Pharisees certainly felt this way, and they were not happy with Jesus, because He was there for those who they felt were not deserving of His time.  But Jesus did not come into the world to save the righteous, he came here to save the sinners. 

Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy He has shown to you?  And do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?

I once spoke with a woman who was bragging about the way her Church really got into their worship.  She said that they really danced and jumped around and really got into the music.  She explained what a wonderful thing it was.  I asked her, "If Jesus were to suddenly be here standing with us, what would you do?  Would you jump around and clap your hands, or would you fall on your knees and ask for mercy?"  What would you do?  I know what I would do.

Today, pray for God's mercy.