Homily- Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist,
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael
v Eph 4:1-7,11-13
v Ps 19:2-3,4-5
v Matthew 9: 9-13
“I did not Come to Call the Righteous but Sinners,”
(Matt 9:13b; cf. Luke 5:27).
Today we celebrate the feast of the calling of Saint
Matthew, Tax Collector, Apostles and Evangelist. We learn from tradition that
St. Matthew was a publican, that is, a tax collector for Rome, a profession
that was despised by the Jews, as sinners, because they would abuse their
office. Probably, they would collect more than required. Our Lord, in today’s
Gospel (Matt 9:9-13) called him, out of his mercy, graciousness, kindness and
love, to follow him as an Apostles, in spite of Matthew’s unworthiness!
Matthew, is called
Levi in Luke’s account (Luke 5:27). His vocation reminds us of the responsorial
Psalm of yesterday, the 25th Sunday of Year A, that” the Lord is
near to all who call upon him” (Ps 145:8). It also remind us that God is a good
father who distributes his gifts the way he wants, for the good of the community, as read in
yesterday’s Gospel as well (cf. Matt 20:1-16a). He watches over each and every
one of us according to our needs. We all have our own talents, which must be
used in unity with the Church and our communities. There is no need for quarrel,
jealousy, and divisions, as illustrated in the Corinthian community, and in
some of our contemporary communities, today.
This is the point of God’s generosity in gifts
distribution for the common good, that
Saint Paul is making in the first reading (Eph 4:1-7, 11-13) . He argues
for the unity of the church, of Jews and gentiles of the recognition of unity
in diversity. God has given some the
gifts of being “Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelist, others as
pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of the ministry, for
building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity and knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of
Christ.” These gifts must be handle with patience, humility, gentleness, love
and peace bearing in mind our baptismal faith.
Prior to Paul and his message to the Ephesians, in the
first reading, Matthew’s calling also reminds us of the story Rahab, the
prostitute, in the Book of Joshua whom God used to save his people. What about
the 12 Judges, major and minor and some of the Kings of Israel. Often they were
not the best. But, God chose and sent them. What about Isaiah of Babylon, a man
of unclean lips. What about Jeremiah who complained that he was too young at
his calling! What about Ruth, the
Moabite, becoming the great-great- grand-mother of Jesus!. The list of God’s
calling improbable people, and using them as his instrument goes on. God can
really write on a crooked line!
In the Gospel, account, when the Pharisees challenged the
divine act of Jesus interacting and eating with sinners, they were met with the
divine and merciful answer, that “those who are well do not need a physician,
but the sick do.” Jesus, “desires mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6; Amos
5:14). He called Matthew, the tax collector to be his Apostles because he saw
him through the eyes of mercy (Matt 9:9-13; John 7:53-8:11).
Many of us would recall, this is one of the passages that
influenced Pope Francis’ choice of his episcopal motto: Misarando Atque
Eligendo (God saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him), as he had
chosen Matthew in today’s Gospel (cf. Exod 34:6-7; Jonah, Psalm 85 and Micah,
who is like God)!
We pray the Lord through today’s feast and readings to
sanctify, bless all our professions, gifts, talents, works and our endeavors so
that we may see them as a means to the unity of faith of the Church, the Body
of Christ. And even in our weaknesses, we may never lose sight of the fat that
“he came to call sinners not the righteous.”
Reflection Questions
1.
Do you see yourself in Matthew of today’s Gospel, how and why?
2.
How do we use our gift to foster unity in the church and
in our communities?
3.
What prevents us from encouraging others to realize that
God can write on a crooked line? He came to call sinners, and not the righteous ( Luke 5:27)?
