Mar Mathai Shleeha (St Matthew the Apostle)
Apostle and Evangelist · Feast: 16 November
Word for the day
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.” Matthew 9:9
Life
Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector at Capernaum, working for the authorities and despised by his own people. Jesus saw him at the tax booth and said: follow me; and he got up and followed. That same day Jesus ate at his house with tax collectors and sinners, saying that he came to call not the righteous but sinners (Matthew 9:9–13).
The Church has from early times attributed to Matthew the first Gospel, which presents Jesus as the fulfilment of the Law and the prophets. Traditions differ on where he preached and died, naming Ethiopia or Persia. The Latin Church keeps his feast on 21 September; the Eastern Churches remember him on 16 November.
Lessons
No one is beyond the call
Jesus called a despised tax collector.
Leave and follow
Matthew left his booth at once.
Mercy, not sacrifice
Jesus quoted Hosea to explain his table fellowship with sinners.
Stories
The feast at Matthew's house (history)
Matthew celebrated his call with a meal for his fellow tax collectors, and Jesus sat among them (Matthew 9:10).
Homily
1. Jesus sees
He saw a man everyone else had written off.
2. Follow me
Two words changed a life; Matthew got up at once.
3. Mercy, not sacrifice
Jesus came to call sinners (Matthew 9:13).
Dear friends, today we remember Mar Mathai Shleeha. Matthew sat at the tax booth, a man his neighbours despised. Jesus passed by, looked at him and said two words: follow me. And he got up and followed him (Matthew 9:9).
That evening Matthew gave a feast for his friends, tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus sat with them. When the Pharisees complained, Jesus answered: I desire mercy, not sacrifice; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners (Matthew 9:13).
No one is too far from God to be called. Jesus still looks at each of us with love and says: follow me. Let us answer at once, and let our table, like Matthew's, be open to those others reject. Amen.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you called Matthew from the tax booth to be your apostle and evangelist. Through his prayers, help us to answer your call at once and to show mercy to all. Amen.