Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may the Lord give you peace. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, and today the Church sets before us another apostolic figure—Saint Matthew, once a tax collector, now a pillar of the Church. In him we see the power of God’s call and the beautiful transformation that happens when an individual responds with trust and immediacy.
What was it in that voice, in that gaze of Christ, that caused Matthew to leave everything behind? Surely it was more than human persuasion. It was the call of God—powerful, personal, and purposeful. Matthew may have been burdened with guilt or shame. He may have felt disqualified from the life of holiness. And yet Jesus looks at him and sees not a man defined by his past, but one chosen for the future—a future in the service of the Gospel, yet always his beloved son.
Abraham, in the first reading, now aged and near the end of his life, is still moving forward in obedience to the promise of God and he insists that Isaac, his son, must continue doing the same. There is no hesitation—just fidelity, preparation, and action, grounded in a confidence that God is guiding his unfolding story.
That is precisely what we see in Saint Matthew’s response. Like Abraham, he goes forward without knowing where his path will lead. But something in the invitation “Follow me” assures him that this road will not be a solitary one, and the Lord will always be with him.
With time, Matthew grew not only in holiness but also in the understanding of who Christ is. Eventually, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he would compose one of the four Gospels—a work that has formed and nourished the Church for two thousand years. From tax collector to evangelist, Matthew's journey was one of deepening communion with the Lord he followed.
Only in Matthew’s Gospel do we find the great Sermon on the Mount spelled out in such detail, and the constant emphasis on mercy and on the authentic righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Why? Because Matthew knew, firsthand, what mercy had done in his life. He had been called not as a righteous man, but as a sinner and he was also healed from his attachments to transient things.
When the Pharisees scoff and ask, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus responds with those unforgettable words: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This is the Gospel—God calling the wounded, the weary, the sinful, and lifting them up into something greater than they ever imagined.
This is a call we all must hear today. Like Matthew, we too are called—not once, but again and again. Called out of our old habits. Called away from complacency. Called into a deeper walk with Christ. The Lord does not wait for us to be perfect. He calls us now, and the rest of the journey will be His work in us—if we are willing to follow. Let us not hesitate. Let us not wallow in comfort or fear or shame. Let us rise, like Matthew, and follow Him.
And in following Him, let us become—like Matthew—a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, a witness to mercy, and a voice that helps others hear the call of the One who says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Amen.
Add comment
Comments