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Gospel: Matthew 9: 9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”Â
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jews hated tax collectors, who were often viewed as thieves, extorting money from their neighbors, even the poor.
They had only one king – God. Paying taxes to the Romans through people like Matthew was a type of infringement upon God’s right as their sovereign king.
Jewish law even forbade tax collectors from entering the synagogue; they were thrown into the same ritual lot as unclean animals, robbers, and murderers. In a word, they were considered, scum.
Yet it’s the tax collector, Matthew, whom Jesus calls in today’s Gospel, revealing the Lord’s ability to see deep into the human heart, weighing not only what a person does, but also what a person can become.
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For the next three years, Matthew will learn how to leave himself and his desires behind in order to follow Jesus.
After the resurrection, he will write one of the four Gospels, preaching this Good News as far as Ethiopia, where it’s believed he was martyred.
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As we celebrate this July 4th weekend, Matthew reminds us that the truest use of our freedom is not to do whatever we want, but to surrender to Christ, following him wherever he may go, even to the ends of the earth.
Saint Matthew, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Our Sunday Visitor (2) Call of Saint Matthew, Caravaggio (3) Hands of God Church, Austin TX