Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Capernaum had just one word on its lips – Jesus. There was no nook or cranny that did not know or speak about Him. Jesus had made this town His home and that’s not all! He had already worked more than twelve miracles here, and many were hailing Him as the Messiah.
Capernaum was a small town but not a sleepy one. You can’t be inactive when you’re situated on one of the most popular Roman highways. The Via Maris or the way of the sea was the most ancient trade route, dating from the early Bronze Age, linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria.
The fact that this was a trade route could mean only one thing – there were tax collectors. No one disliked these tax collectors more than the Jews did. So you can quite imagine Alpheus’ disappointment when Matthew, his son, chose this as a career. It seemed fast money was the order of the day and the traditional occupations of Capernaum seemed to hold no charm.
Why could Matthew not be like Simon, Andrew, James or John? What was so wrong in honest living even if you smelled of fish the whole day? Matthew’s professional choice only added to the greying hair of Alpheus, to say nothing of the insults that he had to face.
Alpheus’ mind recalled that day when Matthew was to be named. Alpheus could only think of how blessed he was to have this child after so many years of waiting. His name would be called Mattityahu, a gift of Yahweh. But now this ‘gift’ seemed to become a liability. Alpheus could not even get his friends to enjoy his hospitality, for who would sit with Matthew’s new found tax collector friends?
Nice reflection Father.Didn’t know about Alpheus.Learn many new things from this reflection.Thankyou Father
How inspiring the story of St. Mathew. A little background on his family which was not known to me.As I was reading the content it became so vividly shown how Jesus changed Matthews heart once for all.Thank you Fr. Warner for bringing the scriptures to life.
This is such an inspiring reflection. An anxious parent’s strong desire for a change in his son and his jubilation when the son answered the call of Jesus. Simultaneously the people’s perspective of Mathew from one so hated to one so loved. How tough it must have been for Matthew to leave his money bag, the source of his position and power. Thank you Fr Warner.
How heartening to learn of this transformation in St. Mathew when JESUS called him…
It thrills to read the last lines of today’s explanation which mentions of the one last time St Mathew felt compelled to cheat, but this time the DEVIL..
Fr. we all may need learn how to cheat the Devil as many of us are not as SMART as the Devil…
🙏🙏