Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle – From Tax Collector to Evangelist (21 September)

About this sermon

St. Matthew went from a despised tax collector to an Apostle, Evangelist, and martyr of Jesus Christ. His conversion reveals the transforming power of grace—and the danger of believing that another sinner is beyond God’s mercy. When Christ saw Matthew sitting at the customs post, He gave a simple command: “Follow Me.” Matthew immediately rose, abandoned his lucrative profession, and followed Him. He then held a banquet for Christ and invited his fellow publicans, provoking the Pharisees to ask why Jesus ate with sinners. This homily explains why tax collectors were hated in the ancient world. They cooperated with Roman occupation, collected revenue for the empire, and often enriched themselves by extracting as much money as possible from ordinary people. Yet Christ looked beyond Matthew’s past and saw the sincerity of his repentance. The Pharisees, meanwhile, failed to recognize their own need for mercy. Their spiritual pride led them to judge God’s actions according to their own expectations. After writing his Gospel, St. Matthew preached in Ethiopia, defended a consecrated virgin’s vow, and ultimately suffered martyrdom at the altar. His life also teaches us how to embrace the penances God permits each day. Impatience says that God should not have allowed a particular difficulty. Humility accepts the unwanted cross, controls the temper, holds the tongue, and responds with charity. The best penance may be the one we did not choose. St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, pray for us! 00:00 Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist 00:22 St. Matthew and the first Gospel 01:06 Matthew’s account of his own calling 01:22 Why tax collectors were despised 01:45 Christ commands Matthew to follow Him 01:59 Matthew holds a banquet for Jesus 02:14 The Pharisees condemn Christ for eating with sinners 02:47 Christ came to call and heal sinners 03:02 The danger of Pharisaism 03:20 Why Jewish tax collectors were hated 03:28 “Render unto Caesar” 03:52 Cooperation with the Roman occupation 04:33 “We have no king but Caesar” 05:04 How taxation worked in the ancient world 05:44 The Roman system of outsourcing tax collection 06:23 How tax collectors enriched themselves 07:12 The conversion of St. Matthew 07:21 Matthew and St. Mary Magdalene 07:44 Leaving wealth and luxury to follow Christ 08:16 St. Matthew writes his Gospel 08:25 His mission and miracles in Ethiopia 08:41 Matthew defends a vow of chastity 08:57 The martyrdom of St. Matthew 09:12 The Pharisees’ spiritual pride 09:27 Refusing to recognize our need for mercy 09:34 How pride makes us resemble Satan 10:20 Impatience as rebellion against God’s will 10:46 Accepting God’s mercy in daily trials 11:11 The best penance is often unwanted 11:19 Keeping your temper and holding your tongue 11:43 Practicing patience at home and work 12:06 Humbly accepting the daily cross 12:14 Becoming evangelists through our example 12:31 Prayer through the intercession of St. Matthew #SaintMatthew #StMatthew #CatholicHomily #CatholicFaith #Apostle #Evangelist #Conversion #ChristianLiving #CatholicSaints #DailyCross #Humility #Penance Please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴

Topics

• Evangelism