As Cathedral of Saint Matthew, the Gospel today invites us to celebrate our Patron Saint Matthew by remembering the moment of his call. Jesus passed by where Matthew was collecting taxes. Mateo betrayed his homeland because he collected taxes from his own people to pay the Romans. Perhaps he was even extorting them and taking advantage of them without any compassion.
Jesus passes by, looks at Mateo and says: come. We can imagine the admiration of those who were there. How was it possible that Jesus called this one who was a traitor, a scoundrel? Perhaps Mateo had only received rejecting looks from people. But Jesus' gaze was not one of rejection, but one of invitation, acceptance, and love. And that experience of feeling looked at by the Lord, and in addition to receiving the strength of his Word makes Matthew change and follow Jesus.
The Gospel tells us that Matthew immediately made a banquet at his home in the company of Jesus, his disciples, and many sinners. It was a party to celebrate the joy of that encounter with the Lord, the joy of having been called to change his life. The joy of knowing that Jesus came to call sinners.
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