St. Matthew
Feast Day: September 21
Matthew was sitting at his tax booth when Jesus walked by.
To most people, Matthew was probably not the kind of man they expected Jesus to choose.
Tax collectors were hated.
They worked within the Roman system, collected money from their own people, and had a reputation for corruption and greed.
Then Jesus looked at Matthew and said only two words:
“Follow me.”
Matthew got up.
He left the tax booth behind and followed Christ.
Soon afterward, Jesus was eating at Matthew’s house with tax collectors and sinners.
The Pharisees complained.
Why would a religious teacher eat with people like them?
Jesus answered:
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.”
Matthew’s life became proof of those words.
Jesus did not wait for Matthew to become perfect before calling him.
He called him first.
And Matthew answered.
The man once known for collecting money would become an apostle, an evangelist, and a witness to Jesus Christ.
St. Matthew, pray for us.
Who Was St. Matthew?
St. Matthew was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus.
The Gospels identify him as a tax collector.
In Matthew’s Gospel, he is called Matthew, while the Gospels of Mark and Luke refer to a tax collector named Levi in a very similar account.
Christian tradition has long identified Levi and Matthew as the same person.
Before following Jesus, Matthew worked at a tax booth.
That occupation would have made him deeply unpopular among many Jews.
Why Were Tax Collectors Hated?
Tax collectors were often viewed as collaborators with Roman rule.
The Roman Empire depended on local officials and contractors to collect taxes from the population.
The system could easily be abused.
Tax collectors had a reputation for demanding more money than was actually owed and keeping the extra for themselves.
Because of this, they were often grouped together with sinners.
So when Jesus called Matthew, people would have noticed.
He had chosen a man many respectable people distrusted.
“Follow Me”
The Gospel describes Matthew’s call very simply.
Jesus saw him sitting at the customs post and said:
“Follow me.”
Matthew got up and followed Him.
There is no long speech.
No negotiation.
No explanation of what Matthew would gain.
Just a call and a response.
That simplicity is one of the most powerful parts of his story.
Matthew had a profession, an income, and a place in the system.
But when Christ called, he left it behind.
Jesus Eats with Tax Collectors and Sinners
After Matthew’s call, Jesus ate at a house where many tax collectors and sinners were present.
The Pharisees objected.
They asked Jesus’ disciples:
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus heard them and replied that the healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
He then said:
“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Matthew was not chosen because he had no need of conversion.
He was chosen because Christ came precisely to call sinners into a new life.
Matthew the Apostle
Matthew became one of the Twelve Apostles.
He traveled with Jesus, heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles, and shared in the mission entrusted to the apostles.
He saw Christ’s ministry unfold from within the group Jesus Himself had chosen.
Most importantly, he became a witness to the Resurrection.
After Christ rose from the dead, the apostles were sent out to make disciples of all nations.
Christian tradition remembers Matthew as one of those who carried the Gospel beyond the land where Jesus had first called him.
The Gospel According to Matthew
Ancient Christian tradition strongly associates St. Matthew with the Gospel that bears his name.
The Gospel of Matthew places special emphasis on Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Again and again, it shows how the life of Christ fulfills what God had promised through the prophets.
Matthew’s Gospel also contains some of the most famous teachings of Jesus, including the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, the Our Father, and the Great Commission.
It presents Jesus as the Messiah, the new Moses, and Emmanuel—“God with us.”
Matthew’s Symbol
In Christian art, St. Matthew is traditionally represented by a winged man or angel.
This symbol comes from the four living creatures described in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation, which Christians later associated with the four evangelists.
Matthew’s Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Jesus Christ, which is one reason the human or angelic figure became his traditional symbol.
How Did St. Matthew Die?
The New Testament does not tell us how Matthew died.
Later Christian traditions differ about where he preached and how his life ended.
Some traditions remember him as a martyr.
Because the historical evidence is not completely certain, it is best not to claim more than the sources allow.
What the Church does know with confidence is that Matthew was one of the Twelve and a witness to the mission of Jesus Christ.
What St. Matthew Teaches Us
Matthew’s story teaches us that no past life places someone beyond the call of Christ.
Jesus walked directly up to a tax collector and said:
“Follow me.”
Matthew could have stayed where he was.
Instead, he stood up.
That decision changed everything.
His story also reminds us that conversion is more than feeling sorry for our sins.
Conversion means getting up and following Christ.
Sometimes that requires leaving behind habits, ambitions, relationships, or ways of living that cannot come with us.
Matthew left the tax booth.
Every Christian has something Christ asks him to leave behind.
When Is the Feast of St. Matthew?
The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, on September 21.
He is honored as one of the Twelve Apostles and as the evangelist traditionally associated with the Gospel according to Matthew.
Prayer Inspired by St. Matthew
Lord Jesus Christ,
You called St. Matthew while he was still sitting at the tax booth.
Give us the grace to hear Your call in our own lives.
Help us to leave behind whatever keeps us from following You completely.
Give hope to sinners, humility to those who think they do not need conversion, and courage to everyone You call to begin again.
May we follow You as Matthew did and spend our lives bearing witness to Your mercy.
St. Matthew, pray for us. Amen.
