THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Tuesday of 25^th week in Ordinary time, 2021

Eph 4:1-7, 11-13

Ps 19

Matt 9: 9-13

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist 

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners 

It always strikes me as remarkable how someone like Matthew, who collected tolls on behalf of the Romans, considered a traitor by many of his fellow Jews, went on to give his name to one of the four gospels, indeed, the most read of the four gospels in the early centuries of the church. If he had left us a written account of his own personal journey, it would make for interesting reading. His journey from someone regarded as ‘sinner’ to apostle and evangelist mirrors the journey of Saint Paul from persecutor of the church to the primary apostle to the Gentiles. Matthew’s faith journey, as well as that of Paul and others, remind us that what matters to the Lord is not so much where our journey begins but where it ends up. For Matthew, as for Paul, the decisive moment in their faith journey was not down to them. It was totally the result of the Lord’s initiative towards them.

 In today’s gospel reading, Jesus sees Matthew at his toll booth and says to him, ‘Follow me’, and Matthew responded to the Lord’s call. The Lord’s initiative towards Paul as he approached Damascus took a more dramatic form. Yet, for all of us, it is the Lord’s initiative towards us, and our response to his initiative, that is the decisive shaper of our faith journey. The Lord is always taking some initiative towards us. As he says at the end of today’s gospel reading, ‘I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners’, and we all qualify as sinners. 

The Lord’s initiative and call will generally come to us in the midst of our day to day lives, as it came to Matthew while he was engaged in his work as a toll collector. Matthew encourages us to be alert to the Lord’s daily call and initiative and to respond generously, and with a trusting faith.

Let us pray: Father, you are the source of our call into you. Help us to hasten to your initiative like St. Matthew. Amen.

+Remain blessed