Every September 21, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist. Saint Matthew lived in Capernaum, on the shores of Lake Galilee, and was chosen by Jesus to join the group of the twelve.
Considered a corrupt and abusive character by his contemporaries, his heart found in Jesus the freedom that his soul longed for. At the Lord’s side he knew the path of redemption that took him from the condition of ‘public sinner’ to ‘just man’, according to the Law of God, that is, the command of Love.
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Levi, the tax collector
Matthew was the son of Alphaeus and bore the name ‘Levi’ before his conversion, as attested by Saint Mark and Saint Luke in their respective Gospel narratives. Levi exercised the office of ‘publican’, that is, he served as a tax collector.
The publicans used to be wealthy characters, but, at the same time, objects of general repudiation: first, because the taxes they collected were considered excessive and unfair by the Jews (the greatest wealth went to the invading Romans); and, second, because through their trade they became rich at the expense of the misery of their own people.
Both reasons were more than enough reason for them to be considered “public sinners” and corrupt characters according to the Law of Israel.
Matthew, the apostle
However, none of what has just been mentioned seemed to matter much to Jesus, who, one day while walking, saw Matthew sitting collecting the tax, approached him and said, “Follow me.” Upon hearing the call of the Master, without hesitation, Mateo got up and followed him (cf. Mt 9, 9ff.). This significant episode is also reported in the other two synoptic gospels (Mk 2, 14ff; Lk 5, 27ff).
Tradition, for its part, suggests that it was Christ who changed his name from ‘Levi’ to ‘Matthew’, which means “gift of God.” He always appears in the group of twelve. In his own account he is included in the list of the apostles (see: Mt 10, 2-3); and after giving his name, he rehearses a description of himself: “Matthew, the tax collector” and “the publican.”
In the gospels of Saint Mark and Saint Luke – in which there are also lists of the twelve – Matthew appears in seventh place (Mc. 3, 13; Luke 6, 14). While in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1, 13), he also appears on the list, but occupying eighth place, followed by James (James), who in that passage is curiously called “son of Alphaeus”, which is why which it is believed that both apostles were brothers.
Witness of Christ
After the Ascension of the Lord to heaven, Matthew remained preaching in Judea, although he also did so in nearby lands in the East. It is believed that his gospel was written in Aramaic, probably between 80 and 90 AD. It would later be translated into Greek.
In the early years of the early Church, the apostle was in contact with the Christian community of Judea, and, consequently, he had to deal with conflicts between Jews who wanted to follow Jesus and those who, on the contrary, clung to Jesus. to the old Law. That is why his gospel is consistently articulated by assertions about why Christ is the expected Messiah.
Patronage
Saint Matthew is considered the patron saint of those who work in banking, accountants, financial institutions and financiers. He is also one of those who collect taxes and public servants. He is the patron saint of some cities, such as Salerno, in Italy.
He is usually represented with a book in his hands, doing math. His symbol is the figure of a winged man.
Saint Matthew and Pope Francis
On a day like today, but in 1953, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, experienced, after confessing, the call to religious life within the Society of Jesus. At that time the Pontiff was 17 years old.
In honor of the apostle, Francis’s pontifical shield is inscribed with the motto: “Miserando atqueelectando” (He looked at him with mercy and chose him), words inspired by the Gospel and describing the precise moment of Jesus’ meeting with the apostle Saint Matthew. . These were written by Saint Bede the Venerable (ca. 672-735), who, in one of his homilies, commenting on the gospel of Matthew, wrote “Therefore he saw the injured publican and because he saw with pity and choosing, he said to him Follow me” (Jesus then saw a publican and looking at him with mercy, he chose him and said to him: Follow me).
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If you want to know more about Saint Matthew, we recommend reading the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Mateo.
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