This morning I prayed:
Lord,
you showed your great mercy to Matthew the tax-collector
by calling him to become your apostle.
Supported by his prayer and example,
may I always answer your call
and live in close union with you.
Through my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist. This is a short Bio of him:
"St. Matthew the Apostle (1st c.) was a Jew who also went by the name of Levi. He was from Galilee and served in Capernaum as a tax collector for Herod Antipas before becoming a disciple of Jesus. It was in the home of St. Matthew that Jesus dined with the "sinners and tax collectors." Under Jesus' influence St. Matthew was led to repentance for the evil he had done as a tax-collector, a position despised by his fellow Jews. He repaid those he cheated four-fold, sold all his possessions, and followed Christ as one of the twelve Apostles. St. Matthew preached among the Jews for fifteen years following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. He is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, which he wrote to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Messiah promised to Israel. According to tradition, St. Matthew the Apostle brought the Gospel to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finished his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. He is the patron of guards, bankers, accountants, security forces, and stock brokers. His feast day is September 21st."
Today's scripture reading (Matthew 9:9-13):
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
To go a little deeper into this passage of scripture I was reading "A sermon by St Bede the Venerable: Jesus saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him". The paragraph that stood out for me is this:
"He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: Follow me. This following meant imitating the pattern of his life—not just walking after him. Saint John tells us: Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6)"
When do I look at someone through the eyes of mercy? If I had been called to follow Jesus how can I walk as Jesus walked?
In a couple of hours I will be barbecuing for the poor at the "De Mazenod Door*". There will be nearly 300 people lining up for a free hamburger and a hot dog. Will I take pauses here and there to look at their faces with the eyes of mercy like Jesus? Will this act of compassion lead many to Jesus?
When I tell people I spend my Friday lunch serving the poor, I am praised for making a "sacrifice" (instead of making more money). I am reminded that if I do this without the eyes of mercy I will not please God. May I learn this lesson well, not only on Fridays, but for the rest of the week, till the end of my days.
*(Named De Mazenod Door after St. Eugene de Mazenod, the founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the patron saint and intercessor for the poor, the church ministry was created to provide sustenance for anyone who comes knocking at the church office door.)
Other useful reading for this blog:
1. Bible Study Tools - Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
2. Saint Matthew, Pope Francis and the Venerable Bede
No comments:
Post a Comment