Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 5, 2024
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.”
Small steps can make a big difference. One night in law school, a good friend asked me if I wanted to make a quick stop at the Dairy Queen near campus. It seemed simple enough. Little did I anticipate at the moment that our “quick stop” would lead to a deep conversation that would set us on the path to dating and—a couple of years later—marriage. An ostensibly simple ice cream trip played a pivotal role in the orientation of my entire life.
I wonder if Matthew anticipated his life would change forever when Jesus called to him. After all, the evangelist tells us earlier in this chapter that Jesus had just returned to his town, Capernaum. And immediately after he summons Matthew, we see Jesus sit down at table—in his own house, it seems—with tax collectors and sinners.
When Jesus told Matthew to “follow him,” perhaps Matthew thought he was simply accepting a dinner invitation. Maybe he thought he would enjoy a good meal, listen politely to what Jesus said, and sit back in his customs post the next day. In any event, Matthew answered the call, and doing so changed his life forever. One chapter later, we read of Jesus commissioning his twelve apostles and sending them out to proclaim the kingdom. Matthew, the tax collector, was one of them.
Just as he called Matthew, Jesus calls us—each day—to follow him. Answering that call may look different for each of us because we all have an unrepeatable part to play in God’s redemptive plan. But what matters in the end is that we follow in Jesus’s footsteps. And even small steps in that direction can make a big difference.
Prayer
“Follow me.” Lord, you spoke two simple words and they changed Matthew’s life forever. You speak those same words to each one of us “Follow me,” and our response changes our lives forever. Thank you for inviting us to follow you. Like Matthew, the tax collector, help us know our own “sickness” and thus our great need for you. Help us to know our need for your mercy which you give to us freely and without reservation. We pray this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
When she was born and baptized in 1271, Elizabeth of Portugal was named after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and she grew up to emulate her aunt in holiness.
As a child, Elizabeth tried to imitate the virtue she saw in other people. She was known for her prayerfulness, obedience, and service to others.
As a young girl, she was married to the king of Portugal. The king did not match her piety with his own lifestyle, but allowed her whatever freedom she wanted to practice her faith. She consistently prayed at several points during her day, and attended Mass every morning. She was modest in the food she ate and the clothes she wore, and dedicated her life to serving God.
She was especially known for her service to the poor. She ordered people in her kingdom to give food and shelter to anyone they found traveling or living on the road. She, herself, would seek out people living in poverty and would help them in whatever way she could. She gave dowries to poor girls and established a hospital and orphanage. She also founded a home where women could escape exploitation and begin a new life.
Her husband was a considerate and generous ruler, but his personal life was a mess—he was selfish and unfaithful, which caused great scandal. Elizabeth devoted her energy to their two children.
Elizabeth was known as the “peacemaker” because at several points in her life, she brought about reconciliation between men who were competing for power, even between her husband and her son when he had grown. She is known to have averted several wars.
When her husband got sick, she cared for him night and day and helped him die a holy death. Then she went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and spent the rest of her life living near a convent that she founded. She followed the way of St. Francis and lived with great simplicity.
Elizabeth died while traveling to visit rulers in an effort to urge reconciliation. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, you were the quintessential peacemaker who averted wars with your faithfulness—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Elizabeth of Portugal is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
