MONDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2020
FEAST OF ST MATTHEW
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13, Matthew 9:9-13
GOD HAS A MISSION FOR US ALL
Matthew was born in Capernaum and was employed by King Herod Agrippa as a collector of tax and custom duties. Such people are most times not liked by the people because they are seen as corrupt. It is the kind of feeling we have towards politicians. Many tax collectors were indeed corrupt, but there were still some good ones like St Matthew.
It would have been a surprise that Jesus would call a tax collector to be his Apostle. It is like telling a politician to leave his office and enter the seminary to become a priest. It is unlike what we see today that pastors and Imams are the ones seeking political positions in our society. The fact that Matthew accepted to be an Apostle of Jesus shows clearly that he was not a corrupt tax collector. It is very easy for us to judge people from afar.
As St Paul tells us in the first reading of today, God has a mission for everyone. There is no need to compare ourselves with anyone. We cannot all do the same thing what is important is the way and manner we carry out our various works.
Matthew was very diligent as an Apostle of Christ. Since he was a learned man, he put his intelligence to use by writing the gospel. He connected very well the prophecies in the Old Testament with the life of Jesus, and he wrote his gospel in Hebrew and Aramaic language which is a pidgin form of the Hebrew language which was the language everyone could speak and understand at the time.
Matthew is believed to have preached in the East where he was martyred by stoning.
We pray for God's grace to be steadfast in whatever mission God has entrusted to us. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
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