Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - This morning the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, flew by helicopter from his Summer residence in Castel Gandolfo to Rome to give the general Wednesday Audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, where he was welcomed by several thousand visitors. Resuming resumed his catechesis on the twelve Apostles, the Pope dwelt on the figure of Matthew. Since information on this Apostle is scarce and fragmented, the Pope outlined Matthew’s spiritual profile gleaned from the Gospel.
“He is always mentioned in the lists of the Twelve chosen by Jesus - the Holy Father explained -. His name in Hebrew means ‘gift of God. The first canonical Gospel which goes under his name, presents him in the list of the Twelve with a precise label: "the publican". In this way he is identified as the man sitting at the tax desk whom Jesus calls to follow him … From the Gospels there emerges another biographical detail: the passage which immediately precedes the narration of Matthew’s calling, tells of a miracle worked by Jesus at Capharnaum and mention is made of the Sea of Galilee, or Lake Tiberiade, close by. From this we deduce that Matthew was a tax collector at Capharnaum.”
The Holy Father then proposed two reflections: “the first is that Jesus welcomes into the group of his closest followers a man considered, according to the mindset in the Israel of that time, a public sinner … Jesus excludes no one from his friendship. Indeed, precisely while at table in the home of Matthew-Levi, in reply to those who expressed scandal for the fact that he frequented company little recommended, He makes an important statement: "'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick...And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners". The good news of the Gospel consists precisely in this: God’s offer of grace to the sinner!”. “In the figure of Matthew, therefore - Pope Benedict XVI continued -, the Gospels offer us a total paradox: a man who appears to be the most distant from holiness can become even a model of openness to God’s mercy revealing its marvellous effects in his life …So Jesus’ call reaches people of low social standing, while they are about their ordinary daily work.”
The second reflection proposed by the Holy Father concerns Matthew’s prompt response to Jesus’ call: “It meant he had to leave everything, above all something which guaranteed him a steady income, even if often unjust and dishonourable. Matthew evidently understood that familiarity with Jesus would not allow him to continue activities disapproved by God”. The Pope then applied this attitude to the present: “still today attachment to things incompatible with discipleship of Jesus, as in the case of dishonest riches, is inadmissible”.
The Pope ended his catechesis recalling the early Church tradition which attributes the paternity of the first Gospel to Matthew. “We no longer have the Gospel written by Matthew in Hebrew or Aramaic - the Pope concluded -, but in the Greek Gospel we have we continue to hear, in a way, the persuasive voice of the publican Matthew who, having become an Apostle, continues to announce to us God’s redeeming mercy. Let us listen to this message of St Matthew, let us meditate on it again and again so we too may learn to rise and follow Jesus with decision”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 30/8/2006, righe 39, parole 564)
