Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Reading 1
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
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.
And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5
R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, « Follow me. »
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
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. »
Meditation
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters,
It is with immense joy that we enter into the meditation on the Word of God today, as we celebrate Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. In the first reading, Saint Paul reminds us that the Lord has created each one of us with a gift, but that this gift must be placed at the service of the Church for its building up. Indeed, each one of us has a task to accomplish for the proper functioning of Christ’s ministry in our world.
In our present society, we tend to leave everything concerning the Church, the Body of Christ, to priests, religious men, and religious women. We tell ourselves that because they are consecrated, it is their responsibility. No, dear brothers and sisters! Every Christian, whether consecrated or lay, has an important role to play in the building and unity of the Church. Moreover, through our baptism, we too have become priests. We therefore have a duty to care about the Church and about our brothers and sisters.
The question we should therefore ask ourselves is: What have I received, and how can I put it at the service of God? There are truly many ways in which we can contribute. We can contribute financially or through prayer. We can contribute through charity and the love we show to others. We can contribute through service, through words of comfort to those who are suffering, and even simply through our presence. Given the many possibilities available to us, no Christian should still say today that they do not know what they can do to contribute to the building of God’s Church.
The Apostles did not all have the same gifts, but each one worked so that the Kingdom of Christ might grow in the world. Therefore, we should focus on what we can contribute, rather than trying to determine what others should do. If each person carries out their task with love and faithfulness, the sum of all these efforts will produce a beautiful result that pleases God. As Saint Paul says, we will “all attain together to the unity of faith and to the full knowledge of the Son of God.”
Let Us Pray
Eternal God, our Father, we pray to You: give each of Your children a clear vision of what they are called to do, as well as the strength and willingness to accomplish it.
Intercession
Lord Jesus, look with kindness upon every Christian in the world. Teach us the meaning of responsibility and service, so that we may make efforts to contribute to the building of Your Body, the Church, each according to our gifts and our abilities.
Mother Mary, pray for us.
Spiritual Exercise
Today, I will take some time to meditate on the gifts I have received from the Lord and on how I can put them at the service of Jesus.
Praised be Jesus Christ forever!
Minette MIAFO
Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ
