The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the power of mercy in our interactions with others to transform lives.
Mercy needed in our systems
The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians describes the faith that builds unity in the Body of Christ.
* [4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the significance of baptism (Eph 4:1–6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).1
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.
* [19:4] No speech, no words: the regular functioning of the heavens and the alternation of day and night inform human beings without words of the creator’s power and wisdom.2
The Gospel of Matthew describes the Calling of Matthew.
* [9:13] Go and learn…not sacrifice: Matthew adds the prophetic statement of Hos 6:6 to the Marcan account (see also Mt 12:7). If mercy is superior to the temple sacrifices, how much more to the laws of ritual impurity.3
Dennis Hamm, S.J. comments that Pope Francis speaks frequently of contemplating Caravaggio’s painting, of the call of Matthew, with himself in Matthew’s place, targeted by Jesus’ finger inviting him to a continuing conversion, to a joyful surrender to a new way of belonging — really a new creation.
the call of Matthew
He concludes with a prayer of his own.
Thank you, Lord, for creating the occasion for me to pause, listen, and re-enter my Church’s prayer, this Feast’s Collect. Thank you also for Caravaggio’s artistry and Pope Francis’ application of it to his own experience of the call of Jesus to ongoing conversion. I am amazed to find myself praying for the grace of being sustained by Matthew’s example. As Francis has learned to see, Matthew realized that Jesus so loved him that he understood that he (Matthew) was caught in a way of life, a self-centered way seeking love, from which he needed rescue, a new way of belonging and being loved and loving and a new way of belonging to human community. It is not all about me; it is about all of us who identify as following Jesus and wanting to do it better. Now is the worst of times and the best of times. Creator God, I know that others have used that phrase about their day. But your chosen leader for your church, Francis, has helped us recognize that we live during a moment when human beings have sinned more egregiously than ever against your creation; and yet we also experience a new call to hear both the cry of the Earth and the cry of Earth’s poorest. On this feast of Saint Matthew, help us recognize your finger beckoning us to collaborate with you in mitigating the harm we have done to our common home. And help us walk with those who have suffered most from the harm we, the so-called powerful and privileged, have helped to bring about. You have created all out of love. Help us hear your invitation to embrace all of our fellow creatures in a sharing of that self-giving love in the company of Jesus.4
Don Schwager quotes “Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon "he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 45.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 comments that Jesus’ invitation sparked hope in Matthew. Maybe he could find his way back to God after all! Other men of God had shunned Matthew because of his corrupt profession and worldly lifestyle, but this “Man of Mercy” was different. Jesus reached out to him as a physician reaches out to his patients. He wasn’t intimidated by Matthew’s job. On the contrary, he seemed emboldened by it.
Matthew didn’t let human wisdom or self-preservation control him. He kept holding on to Jesus instead. And as a result, millions upon millions of lives have been changed by his words and his witness. Take a moment now to recall some of the things Jesus has done in you and for you. What if you shared your life in Christ with the same kind of freedom that Matthew had? Imagine how many lives could be changed. You don’t have to do it all at once, either. Just take a couple of small steps in faith and watch where the Lord leads you. “Jesus, help me to reach out today to someone who is far from you.”6
Peter Edmonds SJ, a tutor in biblical studies at Campion Hall, University of Oxford, comments on the final words of Matthew’s Gospel. Through these words, Jesus continues to speak to the church of today and reminds her of her mission.
On this feast day of Matthew, we can be grateful for this gospel, which is truly the work of one who was a scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven who brought out of his treasure what is new and what is old (13:52). And having read the end of the gospel, it is now time to read it from the beginning. It could be a fruitful experience. ‘This is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty’ (13:23).7
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the dignified lifestyle and the charisms mentioned in the Letter to the Ephesians. The Pharisees considered contact with sinners may be a contagion to fall into sin. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus shares a table with sinners to heal their sickness with mercy and love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, wrote a short book entitled What Do We Do with Evil? In it, he explored the apostle Paul’s teachings on “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” to clarify the often invisible, systemic, and hidden nature of evil, including systems of money.
As regards money and evil, money’s meaning and use is highly obfuscated by small print and obscure vocabularies which only highly-trained economists can understand: annuities, interest (“usury” used to be a major sin!), non-fiduciary, reverse mortgages, and more. Yes, the devil is in the details! The ordinary person is left at the mercy of these new clerics who alone understand how we can be “saved” by the “infallible laws of the market” and the “bottom line” of everything. They use the language of religion and transcendence to speak with a kind of assumed objectivity that we once only allowed in the realm of theology and from the pulpit. Letting the domination systems of “the world” off the hook, we put almost all our moral concern on greedy or ambitious individuals. We tried to change them without recognizing that each isolated individual was on bended knee before the powers and principalities of the market and more. In most nations today, our moral compass has been thrown off its foundations.8
The environment of our culture often does not encourage mercy and love toward those who work in areas we find objectionable. Jesus' example calls us to reach out with love and mercy to enable transformation of lives.
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