ஆண்டவருடைய விண்ணேற்றம் மே 12 ஞாயிறு

 † Saint of the Day †

(September 21)

✠ St. Matthew the Apostle ✠

The Evangelist of the “Kingdom of God”:

Born: 1st century AD

Capernaum

Died: 1st century AD

near Hierapolis or Ethiopia, relics in Salerno, Italy

Venerated in:

Roman Catholic Church

Eastern Orthodox Churches

Eastern Catholic Churches

Oriental Orthodox Churches

Church of the East

Anglican Communion

Lutheranism

Feast: September 21

Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Jew who collected taxes for the Romans at Capernaum in Galilee. Here Jesus met him and called him to be an apostle (Luke 5:27-28). He is venerated as the author of the first gospel which highlights Jesus’ role as Messiah and underlines the presence of the kingdom of God in the Church. His collection of Jesus’ parables on the Kingdom of God is outstanding in theology, spirituality as well as in linguistic excellence. St. Matthew is known to us principally as an Evangelist. His gospel appears as first gospel in the New Testament and it is very elaborate on Jesus’ teachings on Discipleship. His Gospel was written in Aramaic, the language that our Lord Himself spoke. Surely, he was one of the few apostles who were educated and had a position in society.

At the time that Jesus summoned him to follow Him, Matthew was a Publican, that is, a tax-collector for the Romans. His profession was hateful to the Jews because it reminded them of their subjection; the publican, also, was regarded by the Pharisees as the typical sinner. They were considered to be traitors of the people who collaborated with the colonial regime to robe and persecute their own.

Out of respect for their fellow Apostle, neither other Evangelists Luke nor Mark mentions Matthew’s profession, because tax-collectors were hated and considered untouchable. But Matthew himself, however, reports that the Lord “saw a man called Matthew, sitting at the tax-booth”, that is a man already known as Matthew. As Saint John Chrysostom notes: “The apostle is deserving of admiration for not concealing his former life, and also giving his name, which the others concealed with another appellation”. The apostle does not deny his former life but acknowledges his alteration after being called. This demonstrates his humility, as well as his pride in becoming a disciple of the Lord.

Matthew lived and worked in Capernaum, a city that belonged to the jurisdiction of Herod, the Rome appointed ruler. As a clerk, he would have been in the service of some larger employer who had paid the tax revenues of the city, or even the region, to the Romans and then had the right to keep whatever monies he had raised, often believed to be gathered in unjust means. Matthew would certainly have known the Aramaic spoken by the Jews in the area, Greek and Latin as well.

The call of Matthew and his response is very dramatic. During his preaching journeys, Jesus found Matthew seated at his table of books and money, he looked at Matthew and said two words: "Follow me." This was all that was needed to make Matthew rise, leaving his pieces of silver and copper to follow Christ. His original name, "Levi," in Hebrew it meant, "Adhesion" but Jesus began to call him, Matthew, meaning "Gift of God." Indeed Matthew is a gift of God to the Church and all to all the generation of Christians. He has given us a meticulous account of Jesus’ preaching, especially on the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ first sermon, “The Sermon on the Mount” (chapters 5 onwards) is indeed the summary of Jesus’ life and preaching.

Matthew is also the only Evangelist who shares the eight Beatitudes (the first part of the Sermon on the Mount) with his readers. His Gospel faithfully reports how Jesus described who will be truly blessed by God in the Kingdom and the attitudes and actions that are required for those who follow the new Law Jesus came to bring. In the subsequent chapters Matthew records in sumptuous words Jesus’ challenging messages on prayer, forgiveness, charity, treatment of other people, judgment, and practical things of daily life. If not for Matthew we would have missed many beautiful sayings of Jesus.

His work as a tax collector hounded his personality and his presence around Jesus. The only other outstanding mention of Matthew in the Gospels is the dinner party for Christ and His companions to which he invited his fellow tax-collectors. The Jews were surprised to see Jesus with a Publican, but Jesus explained that he had come "not to call the just, but sinners." St. Matthew represents all of us as we too are invited to the presence of Jesus despite our sinfulness.

One of the primary purposes of Matthew’s gospel was to convince the Jews that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. Jesus was the “Seed of Abraham”; Jesus was truly a descendant of Abraham, the Father of Faith. With his knowledge of other leading languages of his time, the customs and traditions of the Jewish people and his expertise on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), Matthew explains to his own Jewish people in their own native language how Jesus is the Messiah and how he has established the Kingdom of God.

Not much else is known about Matthew. After Jesus’ Ascension, Matthew, who is also an apostle preached the Gospel, as Jesus asked his disciples to do. It is believed that he established Christian communities in Egypt, Ethiopia, and other sections of the continent of Africa. Some legends say he lived until his nineties, dying a peaceful death, others say he died a martyr's death.

The symbol for Matthew’s Gospel is a man with wings. Matthew wrote about Jesus’ Incarnation and his Gospel makes clear that Jesus was true God and true man. Matthew is the patron saint of bankers because he dealt with money as a tax collector. But anyone who reads Matthew’s Gospel knows that money was not important to him. What was important was believing in and living as a follower of Christ. May St. Matthew helps us to remember that it is our faith in Jesus that makes us truly rich! His feast is celebrated on 21st September.