Saint Matthew Apostle and Evangelist
Date of celebration: 16/11
The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, before becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, was called Levi. His father’s name was Alphaeus and he was from Galilee.
Matthew worked as a tax collector, and Jesus found him sitting at the tax office outside Capernaum. And he said to him: “Follow me.” Matthew, without any delay, immediately followed him. And not only did he leave the sinful – for that time – profession of a publican, but he also gladly hosted the Lord in his home.
There, in fact, came many publicans and other sinful people, with whom Jesus ate and talked. The Pharisees, however, who had a guilty conscience, when they saw this action of the Lord, immediately accused him of consorting with publicans and sinners. Jesus heard it and said those wonderful words: “He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew, i. 13). That is, says the Lord, I did not come to call those who think themselves righteous, but I came to call sinners, to repent and be saved.
Our Church owes to Matthew the first Gospel in the New Testament, written in 64 AD.
According to tradition, Matthew preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, where he died a martyr’s death.
