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 turned a blind eye to any bribes or fees that the tax 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. It would have been shocking for the people to see Jesus call Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of the beloved disciples in his inner circle.
God calls us to be disciples in the reality of life, in the midst of our personalities, human strengths, and weaknesses. God's grace can work wonders in our lives as we repent and turn away from those things that keep us from him. Jesus tells us that he specifically came to call sinners to repent, 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 Jesus immediately. What is Jesus calling us to leave behind? What do we need to do in order to answer the call of repentance and conversion?
We know that Matthew and the other apostles made many sacrifices to pass down the faith to us. Tradition has it that Matthew was martyred while bringing Christ’s Good News to the people of Ethiopia. As we celebrate the faith of the apostles today, may we turn away from the sins and from the obstacles in our own lives that keep us from a deeper relationship with the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment