St. Matthew, Apostle, Saturday – 21st September 2022 — Gospel: Mt 9,9-13
Sitting with Sinners
Today we celebrate the life of St.Matthew, apostle and evangelist. He was called, sent, and proclaimed the good news both by his actions and by his written and spoken words. After his transformation, he worked for the oneness and edification (building) of the Church. When Jesus invited him to “follow”, Matthew leaves the money table behind and follows Jesus. He went to the extent of throwing a party for Jesus and His disciples and for his former colleagues: tax collectors and public sinners. Here, Jesus made his choice very clear, especially when he went to the home of a sinner. He reminds the ridiculing religious leaders that His mission and ministry is to bring salvation to the sinners, in their own places. And so, he went to meet other sinners in the tax collector’s house. He went out to meet them where they lived and worked. Jesus always encountered the people of the periphery in those places other than the synagogue or the temple. He accompanied those who are marginalized by sitting comfortably with sinners in the dining table.
