Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 21, 2023
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.”
“Repite conmigo: Todos, todos, todos.” (“Repeat with me: Everyone, everyone, everyone.”)
Pope Francis proclaimed this message to 1.5 million young people at World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal this past August. He later emphasized that the church is open to everyone, including “the sick, the elderly, the young, old, ugly, beautiful, good, and bad.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus calls Matthew, a toll collector for Rome, to follow him. The Pharisees there, in Capernaum, publicly challenge Jesus’ honor by asking his disciples why he eats with tax collectors and sinners—scandalous behavior, in their opinion. Yet, Jesus maintains that “those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.”
Then, quoting the Prophet Hosea, Jesus tells the Pharisees to learn what these words mean: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6) While the Pharisees upheld that the sacrifice of ritual purity and Sabbath observance was paramount in following the Torah, they seemed much less aware of the centrality of mercy.
Today, we easily separate our actions and inactions from the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, but I wonder. Have we learned the meaning of showing mercy instead of emphasizing sacrifice? Do we invite, ignore or even shun those in our communities who we assume are not worthy of stepping into our church, seeking healing, hope, and mercy from the God of love we profess?
I can’t help but reflect on the closeness and tenderness with which Jesus shared his very self with social outcasts. Can we do the same? Can we sit at the table where Jesus sat, sharing our lives and healing wounds? May we continue to contemplate profoundly and unfold meaningfully in our lives, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Prayer
Accept the desire of our hearts, O Lord, our God, to lavish care and concern on the weary and suffering members of your body this day. May we anoint them with a compassion that wells up from hearts made joyful by the release you have gained for us from debts and trespasses. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Saint of the Day
Despite his role as a despised tax collector, St. Matthew was called by Jesus to become one of his closest followers.
All tax collectors were hated in Judea because they were greedy and extortionist. Jewish tax collectors like Matthew were especially reviled because they gathered taxes for the occupying and oppressive Roman government. Jewish families generally refused to marry into a family that claimed a tax collector among them. Tax collectors were excluded from religious worship and barred from business and civil affairs.
Yet, Jesus passed by Matthew’s customs post and said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him (Mt 9:9).
Matthew’s post was in Capernaum, where, for a time, Jesus had lived, preached, and worked miracles, so we can assume that Matthew had heard of Jesus and perhaps even listened to him before their encounter. Perhaps Matthew secretly longed to give his life over to the kingdom of God described by this man who worked wonders. When he finally came face to face with Jesus, he jumped at the chance—the personal invitation from Jesus must have been the opportunity Matthew was looking for. He left everything—his occupation and his relationships—in an instant.
Matthew was counted among the 12 disciples, and is traditionally cited as the author of a book of the Gospels (for a fuller explanation of the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew, see this link).
The four evangelists are depicted by symbols that come from Ezekiel and the book of Revelation. John is represented by the eagle because his Gospel begins with high-minded, soaring theology of the Word made flesh. Mark is depicted by the lion because his Gospel begins with John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness (like a lion); Jesus also often appears with royal, king-like dignity in his Gospel. Luke is shown as an ox because of the importance of sacrifice in his Gospel. Matthew is symbolized by a man or angel because he begins the Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, emphasizing his humanity.
A number of relics of St. Matthew rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, where he is also depicted in several places. St. Matthew is also shown in this stained glass window from the chapel of the Stayer Center for Executive Education because he is patron saint of those who work with finances. This small window in the Morrissey Hall chapel shows the saint as well.
St. Matthew, you were the reviled tax collector who became patron saint of those who work with finances—pray for us!