• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

  • Advent
  • Pray
    • Daily Reflections
    • Prayer Request
    • Sunday Homily
    • Passionist Spirituality and Prayer
    • Stations of the Cross
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
  • Grow
    • Subscribe to E-News
    • Passionist Magazine
    • Passionist Ministries
      • Preaching
      • Hispanic Ministry
      • Parish Life
      • Earth and Spirit Center
      • Education
      • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Retreat Centers
    • Passionist Solidarity Network
    • Sacred Heart Monastery
      • History of Sacred Heart Monastery
      • A Day in the Life of Senior Passionists
      • “Pillars” of the Community
  • Join
    • National Vocations Awareness Week
    • Are You Being Called?
    • Discerning Your Call
    • Pray With Us
    • Passionist Vocation Directors
    • Lay Partnerships
  • Connect
    • Find a Passionist
    • Passionist Websites
    • Fr. Cedric Pisegna, CP, Live with Passion!
    • Passionist Alumni Association
      • Reunions
      • 2019 Passionist Alumni Reunion
      • Welcome
      • Letter from the Provincial
        • These Men We Call Our Brothers
      • Mission Statement
      • CrossRoads Bulletin
      • Alumni Enrollment Form
        • Alumni Survey
      • Reunion Photo Gallery
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Monthly Giving
    • Leave a Legacy (Planned Giving)
      • Welcome to Planned Giving
      • Giving Matters
      • Ways to Give
      • Testimonials
    • Prayer and Seasonal Cards
    • Privacy Policy Statement
  • Learn
    • Our Founder
    • History
    • Mission and Charism
    • Saints and Blesseds
    • FAQs
    • Find a Passionist
    • Books
      • STUDIES IN PASSIONIST HISTORY AND SPIRITUALITY

Daily Scripture, September 21, 2016

Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle

Scripture:st-matthew-content

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

Reflection:

St. Matthew recommends himself to us today because he represents what so many of us have had to do in the course of our lives: rework our relationship to the demands of our religious faith.  Few of us have an unblemished track record of fidelity to the faith into which we were incorporated by our baptism. Those of us who are concerned about this do well to reflect on the saint whose memory we recall today.

For we value the memory of the apostle St. Matthew. He had the privilege of being one of the first disciples called by Jesus Christ, not long after Peter, Andrew, James and John.  He might have been one of the better educated among this group, to the extent that his job as tax collector likely placed certain requirements on him that would not have been called for by the background of the other apostles, such as Peter and Andrew, for example.  And this seems somewhat substantiated by the way he organized his recollections, in later years, about Jesus in such a way that it made its way into that venerable collection of memories and recollections called gospels.  For we now refer to the gospel of Matthew, along with that of Mark, Luke and John.

And his gospel is noteworthy because it has the stamp of Jewishness about it, perhaps more so than the other three, because Matthew was likely quite intent on establishing his credentials as a loyal son of Abraham, given his occupation as tax-collector and thereby a collaborator, in some form or fashion, with the Roman occupiers of the land.  That would not have endeared him to his fellow-Jews, and probably tainted his reputation as he collected Jewish tax money on behalf of the Roman occupiers.  So he may have welcomed the invitation Jesus held out to him to join the ranks of this already well-known Jewish spokesperson. Matthew may have seen this invitation as a way of reintegrating himself with his Jewish background.

He is an instance of what our reading from the letter to the Ephesians addresses today: the theme of unity amid diversity.  For St. Paul, incarcerated in prison, writes on the theme of unity, urging the church in Ephesus “to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”, and later on in that same letter Paul vindicates the already growing diversification in the church of Ephesus (apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc.), not as detrimental to the unity of the Christian faith they profess, but as contributing to it.  As a result, Matthew too may have felt vindicated by this variety in the church.

So it must have been a relief for him to leave his customs post at the invitation of this young popular leader, even to the extent of throwing a party for Jesus and His disciples, along with some of the crowd that had been the friends and associates of Matthew: tax collectors and sinners.  Jesus accepted his invitation and seemed quite comfortable with the table fellowship that developed.

So Matthew left his mark on the early beginnings of the church.  His gospel reflects the relationship of our early Christian church with the Jewish religious faith.  It is an important source for noting details of this relationship, and much credit for this goes to Matthew, who, in the process of purging any misgivings about his own Jewish background, serves to illustrate the example of an early relationship between Judaism and Christianity.


Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist formation community at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. 

Reader Interactions

Footer

Facebook Feed

The Passionists

56 minutes ago

The Passionists

A Passionist Prayer
December 6, 2019

From St. Paul of the Cross:
"When we are suffering, we express our human feelings at times and perhaps even cry like a baby. But we must always add the words of Jesus, “Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will” (Mt 11:26). Then continue to suffer, but be silent."

Dear God, when my life feels difficult, all I want to do is tell my woes to anyone who will listen – my spouse, my children, my neighbors, my co-workers. And then I want the hurt to go away magically. Hardly do I remember to be silent, rest in your mercy, listen to your voice, and accept that whatever burden I carry is one that can bring me closer to You. Here is my simple prayer: today, dearest Lord, be with me. Bless me with your strength and comfort me in the greatness of your mercy.

passionist.org/passionist-spirituality-and-prayer/
...

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

The Passionists

5 hours ago

The Passionists

In Roman Catholic Church's this weekend there will be a Retirement Fund for Religious collection.

This 2nd collection continues to support senior sisters, brothers and religious order priests – including Passionists!

For some further information: www.usccb.org/about/national-religious-retirement-office/
...

Message Page

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Support the Passionists

Contact the Passionists

The Passionists of Holy Cross Province
660 Busse Highway | Park Ridge, IL 60068
Tel: 847.518.8844 | Toll-free: 800.295.9048 | Fax: 847.518.0461
Conduct Policy | Board Member Portal | Copyright © 2019 | Log in