St. Matthew is known to us principally as an Evangelist. He was the first to put down in writing our Lord’s teaching and the account of His life.
SAN MATEO, Rizal – The Roman Catholic Church will observe on September 21 the Feast of Saint Matthew (San Mateo), one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, and one of the four evangelists.
Also known as Levi, St. Matthew was a Galilean who worked as a tax collector for the Romans. According to the Scriptures, Jesus called him “while he was sitting in the custom house. He left everything and followed Him and tendered Him a feast in his house where tax collectors and sinners sat at the table with Jesus and His disciples.”
When Jesus overheard the remarks of the Pharisees, He remarked, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:13).
At the time that Jesus summoned him to follow Him, Matthew was a publican, that is, a tax-collector for the Romans. His profession was hateful to the Jews because it reminded them of their subjection; the publican, also, was regarded by the pharisees as the typical sinner. St. Matthew is known to us principally as an Evangelist. He was the first to put down in writing our Lord’s teaching and the account of His life. His Gospel was written in Aramaic, the language that our Lord Himself spoke.
St. Matthew witnessed several important events in the life of Jesus Christ such as His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. While he was in Judea, he wrote what was considered as the most complete and accurate account of the Holy Gospel. According to tradition, he preached the Gospel among the Hebrews for 15 years, before proceeding to the East where he suffered martyrdom for his faith. In art, St. Matthew is symbolized by a man because he began his Gospel with Jesus’ human genealogy.
Patron: Accountants; bankers; bookkeepers; customs officers; security guards; stock brokers; tax collectors; Salerno, Italy.
Symbols: Angel holding a pen or inkwell; bag of coins; loose coins; halberd; inkwell; king; lance; man holding money; man holding money box and/or glasses; money bag; money box; purse; spear; sword; winged man; young man; book; man sitting at a desk. – C.Hermoso / Manila Bulletin
