St. Matthew

Matthew twixt Youth & Age

The Guesthouse Chapel was overflowing with families for the Sunday Mass. It was the 10^th Sunday of Year A. I asked the young ones if any were called Matthew. One or two nodded and we were off with, “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow Me’. And he got up and followed him”. Here we discover Matthew turning to autobiography. He was writing about his own experience and the life shaking it was when Jesus encountered him. To unfold the story takes a good painting whic can tell more than a thousand words.

There are two famous paintings of St. Matthew,

1. The call of Matthew

2. St. Mathew and the Angel.

With more accuracy than the pious commentator was capable of, Caravaggio’s ‘Call of Matthew’ shows surprise and disbelief on Matthew's face when he realised that it was indeed him that Jesus was calling. ‘

St. Matthew and the Angel’ is a painting by Rembrant. It shows the evangelist sitting at his desk with his pen poised above the manuscript of the Gospel which he is in the process of writing. He is gazing ahead, waiting for guidance, but behind him at his shoulder there is an angel whispering into his ear and giving him the inspired words.

This is an imaginative way of illustrating St. Paul’s teaching that, “All Scripture is inspired by God”, (“Tim 3:16).

We can think of the Two Matthews.: The young Matthew of Caravaggio, telling the the story of the meeting with Christ that changed his life. The older Matthew inspired the writing of the Good News.
His words, like all the inspired Scriptures, are as the imaginative beam of light on our own life story.
Matthew’s story begins with his call and attains to his great contribution to the Church. Taking an affectionate look at the course of his life we might ponder all that happened between the beginning an the end. And then ask how the template of out own life follows a like path.

Every life is the story of what happens in between, the time betwixt and between. We need to go to the point of the Holy Spirit – the place where “the Go Between God” guides us. As the Spirit goes between the Father and the Son, he guides us in the in-between of life. We might think we know the will of God. We can only be sure when we pray in silence. Like the Angel whispering in Matthew’s ear, we need to listen to the whisper of the Go-Between-God.

One of the listeners found that thought quite moving, the thought of the “GLOW” of the Holy Spirit. That is word she heard from the words of the preacher, although the preacher had not used the word. But how very apt of the Holy Spirit to whisper that word of inspiration.

During this Liturgical Year we will be guided by the Gospel of Matthew. Thank you, Matthew also called Levi. How much poorer our knowledge of Christ would be without you!