Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Ngày 21/9 Lễ kính Thánh Matthêu Tông Đồ

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Ngày 21/9 Lễ kính Thánh Matthêu Tông Đồ
Trong tất cả những người đã theo Chúa Giêsu, Những người đã được chọn làm bạn và làm tông đồ của Ngài, chắc chắn ông Mathêu là người trong những người được Chúa chọn đã phải gặp rất nhiều tranh cãi nhất và là người có nghề nghiệp và đời sống khắc hẳn những người khác. Nhưng có một điều là ông là ngưòi có học, có khả năng và "thạo đời" hơn mọi người trong nhóm môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu. Sau hết, Ông là có một người nghề nghiệp 'chuyên môn' hơn trong số hầu hết là dân đánh cá. Nhưng "nghề" của ông trong những ngày đó, không phải là một nghề có rất uy tín "trong thực tế, đó là một nghề mà dân do thái được coi là một nghề tội lỗi vì là người thu thuế cho chính phủ ngoại bang. Để kiếm sống, những người làm nghề này thường lạm dụng quyền hành của mình để là giàu một cách nhanh chóng,  họ luôn tìm cách áp đặt thuế nặng trên người dân, và vì thế Chúa Giêsu đã bị người pharisêu chỉ trích vì Ngài đã cùng ăn chung bàn với những Người Thu thuế  .
            Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta thấy việc Chúa Giêsu đã gọi Matthêu.  Nhưng đoạn Tin Mừng này cũng nói thêm và chú trọng hơn về những gì xảy ra sau bữa ăn tối, Chúa Giêsu đã mạnh mẽ lên tiếng bênh vực cho người môn đệ mới của Ngài. Đối với nhóm người biệt phái, và những người chỉ biết quan tâm đến những việc thi hành luật lệ bề ngoài, Ngài nói: "Hãy đi và tìm hiểu về ý nghĩa của những Lời Chúa đã dạy: “ Những gì Ta muốn là tâm hồn có lòng biết thương xót, chứ không không là sự hy sinh". Nhiều người đã kinh ngạc và thất vọng vì Ngài đã nói rằng Ngài đã đến là để kêu gọi người tội lỗi, chứ không phải là những người đạo đức, thánh thiện. Những người Kitô hữu tốt, đôi khi đã bị sốc nặng khi được nhắc nhở về những lời của Chúa Giêsu, và Ngài đã dành nhiều thời giờ cho những người mà xã hội đã coi là  "không thích hợp".
Trong số bạn bè, những theo Chúa đều không có sự giới hạn, và mỗi người chúng ta đều có một chỗ vị trí đặc biệt trong bàn tiệc với Chúa và chúng ta cũng có những vài trò riêng của chúng ta ngay tại bàn của  Ngài.
Lạy Chúa, xin giúp chúng con được sống trưởng thành hơn trong tình bạn với Chúa và tất cả những người khác, trong cùng một Thân Thể Chúa Kitô.
 
Reflection SG 21/9 Saint Matthew
Of all the followers Jesus called to be His close friends and then apostles, surely Matthew must be the most controversial and different from the others. For one thing, he was likely the most “worldly-wise” of the whole group: he was, after all, a ‘professional’ among mostly fishermen. But his “profession” was, in those days, not a very reputable one” in fact, it was considered a sinful occupation because tax-collectors made their living by squeezing money from people, and they were sometimes really harsh and grasping. That Jesus counted tax-collectors among His friends was a constant criticism of Him by self-righteous people.
The Gospel is very brief about the actual calling of Matthew. But it says more about what happened afterwards at the dinner-table, when Jesus strongly spoke up for His new friend. To Pharisees, who were so keen on exact observance of God’s word and laws, He said: “Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice”. They must have been shocked at this; and even more when He said He had come to call sinners, not those already virtuous. Good Christians are sometimes shocked to be reminded of these words of Jesus, and that He spent time with people who were considered socially “improper”.
There is room for every sort of person among Jesus’ friends, and each of us has our own special place and role at His table.
Lord, help us to mature in friendship with all of the others, in the Body of Christ.
 
 
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, September 21
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:11–13
Just prior to this passage quoted above, Jesus saw Matthew, a tax collector, sitting at his custom post collecting taxes. Jesus walked up to him and said two simple words: “Follow me.” What did Matthew do? He got up and followed Jesus and invited Him to his home for a meal. When the Pharisees saw this, they acted with judgment and cruelty. They said, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Their reaction and Jesus’ subsequent response to them says much about the goodness of our Lord.
When Jesus said that He “did not come to call the righteous but sinners,” He was not speaking of the truly righteous. For example, the most righteous person alive at that time, other than Jesus, was His dear mother. And we can be certain that not only did Jesus call her but that she always responded with her whole heart. However, Jesus was speaking of those who were “self-righteous.” A self-righteous person is one who thinks highly of themself, ignoring the truth of God but choosing, instead, to elevate their own image in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Simply put, to be self-righteous is to believe a lie and, in fact, to believe the worst of lies. It’s the worst of lies because this sin has the effect of causing a person to remain obstinate and stuck in their sin. The self-righteous person does not see any need for repentance or change in their life. Therefore, they are not open to the Word of God and to allowing that Word to transform them.
Saint Matthew, whom we honor today, was different. He was a sinner indeed. Most likely he was greedy and overly attached to his money. Tax collectors were not highly regarded at that time because they were Jews who worked for the Romans and were, therefore, seen as traitors to their own people. Additionally, they were seen as thieves, because they often extorted more than they should receive so that they could pocket some of the money. For this reason, many Jews also feared the tax collectors because they knew the tax collectors had Rome’s support in this illicit activity.
What’s amazing is that Jesus approached Matthew, the sinner and tax collector, and confidently called him to be a follower. Most likely, Jesus could see into his heart. He knew Matthew was not happy with his life and was searching for more. Therefore, as soon as Jesus called him to follow Him, it is clear that something took place within Matthew’s soul. The fact that he got up and followed our Lord shows that the spiritual draw to Jesus was far more powerful than his desire for earthly wealth.
This same truth applies to each and every one of us. No matter what we find ourselves drawn to and no matter how we seek satisfaction in life, the supernatural truth is that there is only one thing that will satisfy. We could have all the money in the world, all earthly power and prestige, and still, in the depths of our souls, we will not find peace until we turn to Jesus and follow Him. Some people learn this truth early in life, some later in life, and some never discover it at all.
Reflect, today, upon how satisfied you are with your life. Is there something missing? If so, look at your goals and priorities in life. What do you spend most of your time thinking about, talking about and daydreaming about? If it is not our Lord Who occupies your mind, heart and every desire, then you can expect that you will experience discontentment in life. In that case, look to the witness of Saint Matthew. He is a saint today because he responded to Jesus’ invitation to abandon his life of sin and greed so as to follow Him in poverty. But in that worldly poverty and abandonment of earthly things, Saint Matthew became abundantly rich and will remain so forever in Heaven.
Lord of all satisfaction, You call all Your people to follow You. Please open my mind and heart to that call so that I can not only hear You but also respond with all my heart. Please help me to detach from the things of this world that keep me from You, so that I can follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 24th Ordinary Time 2024 Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Opening Prayer: Lord God, overcome any resistance I may have to the call of your Son. When I hear his words, “Follow me,” move me to abandon all that keeps me from you or holds me back. I am your disciple and apostle. Here I am, Lord, send me!
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Public Sinner: Matthew, also called Levi, was the tax collector at Capernaum. As a tax collector, he was regarded by many Jewish people as a public sinner. He “worked hand in glove with the reigning power and had to be classed as a public sinner on account of his social position” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. 1, 178). We do not know if Matthew was a fair and just tax collector or a corrupt one. In either case, he was judged by many as a sinner: “Matthew, in fact, not only handled money deemed impure because of its provenance from people foreign to the People of God, but he also collaborated with an alien and despicably greedy authority whose tributes, moreover, could be arbitrarily determined” (Benedict XVI, Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, 82).
2. True Holiness: By calling Matthew the tax collector to be one of his disciples, Jesus likely provoked the harsh judgment of the Pharisees, who sought to be pure and insulate themselves from any foreign Gentile contact. The Pharisees are often an example of hypocritical and false holiness. They thought they were righteous by their own efforts to keep the law and abide by their human traditions. By contrast, the life of Matthew shows us what true holiness consists in: “[I]n the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God’s mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives” (Benedict XVI,Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, 83). Matthew immediately left everything to follow Jesus. He rose up, detached himself from a sinful situation, and began a new life in communion with Jesus (see Benedict XVI, Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, 84). Filled with and empowered by God’s grace, Matthew was able to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
3. The Gospel according to Matthew: Each of the Gospels approaches the mystery of Jesus from a different angle and with a unique perspective. John likely wrote his Gospel last. He told stories about Jesus not recorded in the other three Gospels, defended the divinity of Jesus, gave us the words of Jesus on the night before he died, and delved into the sacramental mysteries of the Church. Luke’s Gospel is informed by eyewitness testimony and the preaching of Paul. It offers the Good News of salvation to Israel, the Gentiles, the poor, the lowly, the humble, and the outcast. Mark’s Gospel is directed to Gentiles in the Roman Empire and is based on the preaching of Peter. It focuses on Jesus as the suffering Messiah and Son of God who invites his disciples to share in his suffering and glory. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as the New Moses, who through his five discourses and many actions inaugurates the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The Kingdom, Matthew teaches, belongs to the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted. The Kingdom will grow until the end of time, transform society, and give shelter to both sinners and saints. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am like Matthew the Apostle. I have been anxious and worried with the things of this world and need to leave them and follow you. Inspire me today to know what I am attached to and what I need to leave behind.
Living the Word of God: How familiar am I with each of the four Gospels? If someone were to ask me to tell them about the Gospels and what is unique to them, would I be an effective witness? What can I do to know the Gospels better? Time with each of them in prayer? Do I need to dedicate time this month to study them?
 
 
21/9 Saint Matthew 2023
Introductory Prayer: You are pure goodness and life, Lord. Closeness to you brings peace and joy. You deserve all of my trust and my love. Thank you for the gift of life, my family, and my faith. I’m grateful, too, for the gift of the Church, which you founded on the Apostles.
Petition: Lord, help me to be simple and straightforward in my faith.
1. Simplicity Is Bliss: The tax collectors were considered traitors to the Jewish people since they worked for the Romans, the “oppressors” of God’s chosen people. The ordinary Jew would not even converse with one such as this. But Jesus says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew got up and followed him immediately; no questions asked, no conditions. What beautiful simplicity! He didn’t know that Christ would make him one of the Twelve. In a certain sense, we might say that he signed a blank check and gave it to Jesus. Matthew doesn’t sit down to calculate; he only accepts. He then goes further: He invites Jesus to his house for dinner. A Jew generally invited only his true and closest friends and relatives to dinner. It was a sign of intimacy, friendship, and love. Matthew goes overboard and lays out the red carpet for Christ.
2. Complicated Calculations: Unlike Matthew’s straightforwardness, we see the Pharisees’ “righteousness.” Jesus’ dining with a sinner like Matthew is a scandal for them. They have to confront this Rabbi about his “shameful conduct.” The problem is that they haven’t understood the first thing about the Messiah. Their very point of departure is flawed. They are looking at Christ (and God) from a very rational perspective when the only valid outlook is faith and love. This frequently happens in our lives as we begin to judge events, circumstances, and others without faith and charity. Before we realize it, we may have rejected and possibly even defamed our neighbor, a civil authority, or a priest or bishop. We are not looking at things from a supernatural vantage point but rather from our merely human standards.
3. Back to the Basics: Christ puts everything back into perspective. "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." Once again, Jesus invites us to elevate our thoughts to a supernatural plain. Why did God become man? We repeat it frequently, at least every Sunday in the Creed: “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven.…” It is important to examine the degree to which I see and judge everything in my life through the prism of faith. A true believer, a real apostle, must form this “sixth sense” in daily dealings. We develop this habit through prayer and frequent and intimate contact with God. We need to ask God for the gift of faith, which gives us a new perspective on life.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to be a simple person who accepts you and your demands without calculations and complications. Free me from all impediments and grant me your grace so that I might become a convinced, faithful, and intrepid apostle of your kingdom, as was St Matthew.
 
21/9 Saint Matthew
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you in prayer. I consider it both a duty and an honor to spend time with you in prayer. Increase in me the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Please open my heart and mind with your grace, so that like St. Matthew I may hear your call and respond with generosity. 
Encountering Christ:
“Follow Me”: “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. “He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” It is a mystery why Jesus called the men whom he did to be his apostles. Matthew was a tax collector, Simon was a Zealot, many were simple fishermen, and Judas would betray him. He was aware of who they were and what they would do, and still, he called them. In another passage, it states that Jesus “summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him” (Mark 3:13). Therefore, Jesus’s love for the soul is the reason for his call. Our Lord calls every soul to live in union with him. This is the universal call to holiness, which is at the heart of every vocation. However, Our Lord’s call is never generic. Jesus looks on each person with particular love and beckons them to a unique path (Mark 10:21).
Matthew Immediately Followed: When Jesus called his apostles, they immediately left everything and followed him. The apostles’ immediacy says something about the command and attraction in Jesus’s voice and demeanor, but it also says something about the apostles since not everyone responded with such generosity (Mark 10:22). They were interiorly prepared to hear the call and respond. What was it that prepared them? How did grace touch their hearts prior to their encounter with Jesus? Specific to Matthew, we can imagine that certain fatigue and disillusionment with the lifestyle associated with being a tax collector had taken root. The high life of money and parties no longer filled him. He longed for more—for truth and for goodness. He longed for God. Then, when he heard Our Lord’s voice, a deep stirring in his spirit told him, “This is it—what you have been waiting for! Follow him!”
“Many Tax Collectors and Sinners Came”: “While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.” Matthew may have come to despise the lifestyle he had been living, but he did not despise those with whom he had shared such a lifestyle. They had been his friends, and now he wanted to introduce them to Jesus, the rabbi who had so quickly and dramatically changed his own life. They came not only because of Matthew’s invitation, but because they had heard that Jesus was a friend of sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 11:19). Our Lord’s goodness gave them the confidence they needed to approach him. Perhaps several of them decided to follow Jesus that evening. Matthew had done so, why couldn’t they?
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, I marvel at the grandeur of your patient and persistent pursuit of each soul. However, you also seem to frequently gain followers in clusters. In calling Matthew to follow you, you also reached out to his immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. You called Andrew, Peter, James, and John as a group. In calling St. Bernard of Clairvaux to the monastery, you also encouraged his brothers and several friends to join him. May I also be so receptive to you that your grace may reach many more through me. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will share with a friend something you have done to build up the Kingdom.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Matthew 9:9-13. Lễ kính Thánh Mat-thêu Tông Đồ
            Thánh Mat-thêu là một người Thu thuế và chắc chắn là Mat-thêu cũng đang cố gắng nhiệt tình và rất chăm chỉ trong việc làm của ông vì ông mong muốn có được sự giàu có. Nghề thu thuế của ông là nghề rất dễ làm giàu và cũng là nghề mà dân chúng Do Thái rất chê ghét và kinh miệt vì họ là những người thu thuế cho đế quốc La Mã và họ là những ngưòi hay dựa vào quyền thế của La Mã để hà hiếp và bóc lột dân lành bằng cách lấy thuế cao. Ông được xem như là người hợp tác với kẻ thù, làm giàu trên sự đau khổ và cực nhọc của dân Do Thái. Tất cả những người dân Do Thái dù là giàu hay là nghèo, dù là hợp pháp hay bất hợp pháp họ coi thường những người thu thế và thuờng hay tẩy chay họ. Để chấp nhận một cuộc sống như vậy, Mat-thêu phải có một tham vọng, phải ham muốn và đam mê sự giàu có.
            Rồi một ngày đó, Chúa Giêsu dừng lại ngay bàn thuế nơi Mat-thêu làm việc. Chúa Giêsu chỉ nói ba tiếng ngăn gũi: “Hãy theo ta” Mat-thêu ngay lập tức đứng dậy, bỏ lại tất cả để theo Chúa, Mat-thêu đã bỏ lại sau lưng tất cả, thậm chí cả những mộng ước, và những đam mê trong việc làm giàu của mình, để theo Chúa Giêsu, để đi theo một lối sống bình dị, đơn sơ, nghèo đói, để phó thác và lệ thuộc hoàn toàn vào Chúa. Thánh Mat-thêu đã tìm thấy một tình yêu vô biên nơi Thiên Chúa còn quý trọng hơn nữa so với sự giàu có ỏ trần gian.
            Chúng ta cũng mời gọi để theo Chúa làm làm tông đồ như Thánh Mat-thêu. Trong phép Thánh tẩy, mỗi người chúng ta đã nhận được ánh sáng của Chúa qua người đỡ đầu vì thế, hôm nay Thiên Chúa mong muốn chính chúng ta hãy thắp lên ngọn nến đó để toả sáng ánh sáng của Chúa Kitô đã ban cho chúng ta lúc Rửa tội để đọi chiếu ánh sáng Yêu Thương của Chúa Kitô và giá trị ơn cứu độ của Chúa cho thế giới trần thế của chúng ta hôm nay. Lòng tham muốn cho sự giàu có vật chất là một trong những trở ngại chính cho sự thành công trong nhiệm vụ này. Vì nếu như chúng ta thật lòng với chính mình, chúng ta phải thừa nhận rằng: những của cải vật chất thế trần này rồi sẽ mất đi, chỉ có tình yêu của Thiên Chúa mới có giá trị cho cuộc sống đời đời của Chúng ta.
 
Meditation:
 What is God's call on your life? Jesus chose Matthew to be his follower and friend, not because Matthew was religious or learned, popular or saintly. Matthew appeared to be none of those. He chose to live a life of wealth and ease. His profession was probably the most corrupted and despised by everyone because tax collectors made themselves wealthy by over-charging and threatening people if they did not hand over their money to them. What did Jesus see in Matthew that others did not see? When the prophet Samuel came to the house of Jesse to anoint the future heir to the throne of Israel, he bypassed all the first seven sons and chose the last! "God looks at the heart and not at the appearance of a man" he declared. David's heart was like a compass looking for true north – it pointed to God. Matthew's heart must have yearned for God, even though he dare not show his face in a synagogue – the Jewish house of prayer and the study of Torah – God's law. When Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax office – no doubt counting his day's profit – Jesus spoke only two words – "follow me". Those two words changed Matthew from a self-serving profiteer to a God-serving apostle who would bring the treasures of God's kingdom to the poor and needy.
            John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes Matthew's calling: "Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. for he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."
            When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus’ defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn’t need to visit healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care. Their religion was selfish because they didn’t want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
            On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the prophet Hosea: For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?
"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself.” (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)