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| "Saint Matthew" -- by James Tissot |
Jesus
saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to
him: "Follow me.” Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense,
but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men. He saw
the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy
and chose him, he said to him: “Follow me.” This following meant
imitating the pattern of his life – not just walking after him.
Saint John tells us: “Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to
walk in the same way in which he walked.” “And he rose and
followed him.” There is no reason for surprise that the tax
collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him.
Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band
of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all.
Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an
invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of
grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way
Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from
earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his
gift.
– Saint
Bede the Venerable from
a homily
Saint
Matthew's
patronage:
Accountants;
bankers; bookkeepers; customs officers; security guards; stock
brokers; tax collectors; Salerno, Italy.
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