21 September 2020 Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
From Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-13, NRSV

Paul again uses the image of the body as a symbol for the unity that should exist in the Christian community. However, he does not say that being united means that everyone has to be the same. He lists some of the many roles that are needed for the community to work. It may be tempting to see Paul’s list as a hierarchy of importance but a Paul sees that each role is equally important for building up the body. During his ministry, Jesus also showed that every person has their place in the body that is God’s kingdom. He in fact went out of his way to include sinners and those despised by others without even expecting them to repent first. Their repentance was a consequence of the love shown by Jesus. This was certainly the case for St. Matthew whose feast we celebrate today. As a tax collector for the Romans he would have been very unpopular to say the least, but Jesus saw in Matthew the potential for good. In accepting Matthew as he was, Jesus enabled him to find a new and fuller life.

• • What does Matthew’s conversion from tax collector to apostle and evangelist tell us about how Jesus saw him ?
  • What part do you think God is calling you to play in building up his body today?

Are there people whom you struggle to see good in? Ask for the grace to see them as Jesus would – what might Jesus see that you do not?