Saint Matthew’s story is an unlikely vocation story with an unlikely candidate called by Jesus to be a disciple. The story simply tells us that Jesus is walking by, sees Matthew at his tax collector’s table and says: “Follow me.” Matthew stops business at once, closes his books and goes off behind Jesus. Matthew follows the call from Jesus immediately, in the same manner as the fishermen Andrew, Simon, James and John followed Jesus’ call immediately.
After calling four fishermen to follow him, Jesus now calls a cheat, an extortionist of his own people to also follow him. None of these first five disciples come with high-class resumes that would qualify them in the eyes of the world to be apostles and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Later at Matthew’s house, during a meal with sinners and other tax collectors, Jesus strikes out at the criticism the Pharisees directed towards his dining companions.
Jesus tells them that he came to call, not the self-righteous, but sinners. No one can approach or follow Jesus unless he or she confesses that sinfulness and repents. Matthew was called; he was responsive to the call and was a repentant sinner. If Jesus could do amazing deeds in, with, and through Matthew, he can do the same in, with and through each one of us.
This is a story about Gospel reversals, about the ways of God being different from the ways of the world, about God turning sinners into saints. It is the story of every single vocation, the story of every single saint. Each and every one of us is basically unqualified. Each one of us is a sinner. Yet, the
call of Jesus, the grace of God and the love of the Holy Spirit can do marvelous things.
Holiness is never about our talents, our heroic deeds, or our amazing accomplishments in life. We are called by Jesus to walk with him, to be formed by him, to allow him to perform wonders in and through us. That is why we need to listen each day so that, we, too, will hear the words: “Follow me.”
