Live in A Manner Worthy of the Call

Live in A Manner Worthy of the Call

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Piety

Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesian 4:1-7 

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.” Matthew 9:11-13

Study

As the Maryknoll Fathers emphasized recently, “St Matthew wasn’t just a tax collector in our modern sense. He took money from his people and gave it to their oppressors. Jews despised tax collectors more than they did the Romans. He was in the middle of this when Jesus called him.”

In this illustration, they point out that our past (and present) is no obstacle to discipleship. Pausing to reflect on St. Matthew reminds us of how Christ can and does change lives. 

Recently, friend, sister-blogger and Cursillista Melanie Rigney asked me to review her new book before selling it to the public. Only happy to oblige, there in the epigraph before I got into a syllable of “Brotherhood of Saints” was this reminder from Oscar Wilde: “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”

Sanctity is a lifetime of trial, failure, repentance, and perseverance. Matthew reminds us of that in his life but mostly on his Feast Day.

Action

That famous painting of Jesus pointing at St. Matthew and calling him should remind all of us that Jesus also looks at us with his inner eye of compassion and asks/commands us to “Follow me.” To follow is to imitate; to follow does not mean with bodily steps but with moral conversion: “If any say they abide with Christ they must walk as Christ did.” (Venerable Bede)

Is Jesus pointing at you today?

If so, let’s remember to live in the manner of our calling.