Dear Fathers , Friends in Christ
Matthew 9:9-13
I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:13)
It is fitting that the apostle Matthew's home is the setting for Jesus' extraordinary
and dismaying (to the Pharisees) pronouncement that He did not come to call the
righteous, but sinners. Matthew had been a publican, a profession known for
exacting tax payment by ruthlessly preying on its victims. Publicans were seen by
the Jewish people as traitorous agents of the oppressive Roman rule. They were
loathed and despised.
For such as these did the Saviour come. They were true outcasts, along with harlots
and uncivilized brutes. Yet one of them, known as Levi or Matthew, had an
encounter with the Christ, was called by Him to be one of His closest disciples, and
ultimately entered greatness for all eternity as an Apostle, martyr, and saint.
It all began with a call at the customs house, the simple place of work.
This was indeed a very special grace and a very special calling, one that demands
reflection by Christians through the ages. Not all are called to be apostles, but all,
including despised outcast sinners, are called to be close intimates of our Lord.
May we pray for the intercession of beloved St. Matthew to see that our Saviour calls
on us where we dwell simply, in our everyday life, and that we receive the grace we
need to become close to Him, to do what He asks, now and forever.
Father Ed Bakker
