A Little Matthew in All of Us: Weekly Message for 09-17-2024

Dear Friends,

Everything Jesus did in his earthly mission, he did for a reason. From the people he healed to the towns he visited to the men he chose as his Apostles: these were intentional actions.

This week the church commemorates the Apostle Matthew. The Gospel tells us that many tax collectors and “those known as sinners” came to dinner with Jesus at Matthew’s house. The Pharisees were scandalized. What business did a teacher have associating with such immoral people? Jesus sets the record—he came for the sinners. Jesus saw in Matthew the potential for a saint.

I recently came across a reflection Mother Teresa offered on the value of confession. She tells her audience that whenever you feel that you have done something wrong, do not be afraid because God is a loving father whose mercy is far greater than we can imagine. He gave us the sacrament of confession so that our hearts can be purified. She said, “We go to confession a sinner with sin, and we come from confession a sinner without sin.”

We may not all be tax collectors, but we are all fallen creatures. We may be scandalized by our own sinfulness, but God is not. He knows there is a little Matthew in all of us, that’s why he sent his son, so that through him, we might become saints.

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna