September 21st - Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
- From: "Traudel" <richarra@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:49:33 -0500
September 21st - Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
GOD chooses whom He wills, and is not influenced by the prejudices of man.
Christ too made His own choice of friends without regard to the opinions of
His fellow Jews. He received into His companionship, even into the intimate
circle of the twelve who were later to found His faith and spread His truth
over the earth, a publican. The despised publican did not need to beg or
entreat admittance to Christ's association; the Son of God invited him.
Matthew, also called Levi, was that publican.
A publican was one who collected taxes from the Jews for their Roman
conquerors, or for Herod Antipas. Each year a certain amount had to be
collected. The authorities did not care how the publican collected his
money, how much he demanded of the Jews, or how much he kept for himself, so
long as the requested amount was sent to the treasury. Thus the publican
had what we might term a "racket"-he could collect from the Jews an
unlimited amount of tax and send only a small percentage of it to the
treasury.
No one was more shunned by the Jews than a collector of taxes, and
understandably so, since this was one of their own people working for the
Roman administration, robbing them, while making a large personal profit.
Publicans were not allowed to trade, eat, or even pray with other Jews. The
Jews even refused to marry into a family that had a tax-collector among its
members.
Saint Matthew's place of business was at Capharnaum, on the Sea of Galilee.
He must have seen our Lord there more than once, had heard of His miracles,
and perhaps had heard Him preach in the synagogue, but had probably never
even thought of speaking to Him-he was used to being scorned. One day, he
looked up from his table of books and money to see Christ standing before
him. The Son of God had only to look at Matthew and say two words: "Follow
me." This was all that was needed to make him rise, leaving his pieces of
silver to follow Christ. Joyfully he arranged a dinner party for Christ and
His companions and invited his fellow tax-collectors. He was saying
farewell to his business, and celebrating his entry into a new employment.
A whole new existence was now opened up to the publican. His name, Levi,
was changed to Matthew, meaning "the gift of God." Sharing in the poverty
and work, the sufferings and the conversions, he followed Jesus throughout
His earthly life.
After Christ had ascended into heaven, Matthew wrote his Gospel, inspired
by the Holy Ghost. The Gospel is a short history of Christ in which Matthew
intended to demonstrate that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of David, whom
the Jews awaited. It was the first of the Gospels to be written and was
written in Aramaic, probably while Matthew was still in Palestine. Matthew
remained with Peter and the others for some time, preaching in Judea. After
the apostles separated, each going a different way to spread the new faith,
he is said to have brought Christianity to the Persians and to other Eastern
nations. Some authorities say he died a natural death; others say he
suffered martyrdom. The Church venerates him as a martyr, and portions of
his relics are claimed by the cathedral at Salerno, Italy.
Christ's words, "Follow me," echo down the centuries. The heart of Jesus,
burning with love for men, seeks others who will rise and follow Him. We,
like Matthew, do not need to beg association with the Son of God-all we need
do is to accept His invitation.
In the traditional symbolization of the evangelists, based on Eze. 1:5-10
and Rev. 4:6-7, the image of the winged man is accorded to Matthew because
his Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Christ.
This version taken from:
http://www.geocities.com/barats2000/September.html
Saint Quote:
"If we fear to preach the truth because that causes us some
inconvenience, how, in our gatherings, can we chant the combats and
triumphs of our holy martyrs?"
-St Cyril of Alexandria.
Bible Quote
25. But Jesus called them to him, and said: You know that the princes of the
Gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power
upon them. 26. It shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be the
greater among you, let him be your minister: 27. And he that will be first
among you, shall be your servant. 28. Even as the Son of man is not come to
be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for
many. (Matthew 20:25-28)
<><><><>
Daily Thought From The Following of Christ
He is truly great who hath great charity.
He is truly great who is little in his own eyes, and counteth for nothing
all the heights of honor.
He is truly prudent who esteemeth all earthly things as dung, that he may
win Christ.
And he is truly most learned who doth the will of God and forsaketh his own
will.
<><><><>
An Act of Contrition
Almighty and most merciful God, Thou hast long borne with me in my sins, and
Thou hast long and often invited and pressed me to return to Thee once more.
Behold, therefore, such is now my sincere desire. I now earnestly wish to
quit the husks of swine and to return home to the house of my Father, in the
full hope of obtaining pardon from Thy mercy. I desire to come now before
Thee, my God, with a contrite heart and to make at Thy feet a sincere
acknowledgment of all my sins and offenses. Wherefore, prostrating myself
humbly before Thee, I here confess the greatness of my ingratitude to Thee
and the multitude of my crimes, and I earnestly implore Thy pardon. I am
indeed the prodigal child who has long gone astray from Thee, squandering
away my substance and seeking, but seeking in vain, to satisfy my appetite
with empty satisfactions. Being now, however, made aware of my own misery
and weary of my evil ways, I anxiously wish to return again to Thee. I
confess myself unworthy to be called Thy child, and what I now crave of Thy
mercy is Thy forgiveness. I am afraid even to lift up my eyes toward Thee,
and much less to ask a place, although it were the lowest in Thy family. I
feel myself loaded and oppressed with the weight of my disorders, which I
now detest from the bottom of my heart. Do Thou then, O Father of Mercies,
have pity and compassion on me. Look not upon my sins, but upon the
sufferings and the merits of my Redeemer. Look upon Him and upon all that He
has done and endured for my salvation. Oh mercy, mercy, by those tears which
He shed for me in Gethsemane and by that Blood which He spilled for me upon
the Cross, I here lay down all my sins to be washed away by this sacred
stream! Yes, my God, I am sincerely sorry for all my past negligences and
offenses. I wish that, like the Magdalen, I could wash the feet of my
Saviour with penitential tears. I wish I could wash away my sins, although
it were even with the tears of blood. In Thy mercy, however, forgive me.
Cleanse my soul from all its stains, and let nothing henceforth---no
temptation nor fraud of the enemy---so far prevail over me as to be able
ever to separate me from Thy love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
.
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