Tax collector called by Jesus to be an Apostle; Evangelist and author of the Gospel of Matthew.
Life
Saint Matthew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a tax collector near Capernaum, and tax collectors were despised because they worked for Rome and were thought to profit unjustly. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke he is called Levi.
When Jesus said to him, Follow me, he got up at once and followed, and he held a banquet in his home for Jesus with tax collectors and sinners. Church tradition honors him as the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
Where he later preached and how his life ended are told in various traditions, none of them certain. The Church remembers him on September 21.
Spirituality
Matthew's spirituality is an immediate response to the call. He was called from a place everyone scorned and rose without hesitation, leaving everything behind. His story carries the good news that Jesus came to call not the righteous but sinners.
Reflection
Jesus calls us even from the places we are most ashamed of. If the Lord said to you today, Follow me, what would you need to leave behind in order to get up and go?