Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman government in Jerusalem, collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. The Romans were concerned about getting their taxes collected, so they commonly disregarded the additional bribes or fees that the taxes collectors forced the people to pay, money that the tax collectors kept for themselves. The tax collectors were viewed as traitors by their fellow Jews, so you can imagine how shocking it would have been for the people to see Jesus call Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his beloved disciples in his inner circle.
God calls us to be disciples in the reality of our lives, in the . midst of our personalities, our strengths, and our weaknesses. God's grace works in our lives as we repent and turn away from those things that keep us from God. Jesus came specifically came to call sinners to repentance and to have them come to him. Matthew answered Jesus' call without hesitation. The Gospel tells us that Matthew got up from his custom post and followed him immediately. What is Jesus calling us to leave behind in our own lives? What do we need to do in order to answer the call of repentance and conversion?
Matthew and the other apostles made many sacrifices to pass down the faith us. Tradition passes down that Matthew was martyred while bringing the Gospel to the people of Ethiopia. As we celebrate the faith of the apostles today, may we turn away from the sins and the obstacles in our own lives that are keeping us from a deeper relationship with the Lord.
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