Today is the Feast of St. Matthew. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, we see that his Jewish name was Levi. He was a tax collector. His fellow Jews would have considered him a sellout. In the Scriptures, they were always lumped together with “sinners.”
In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus walks up to Matthew (Levi) while he was at work. He simply utters to him two words, “Follow me.” No introductions, no “How ya doing, Levi?” Just “Follow me.” And Matthew does. He leaves his gig and follows Jesus.
Have you ever changed jobs or careers? I can tell you it can be very stressful – nerve-wracking and uncomfortable, yet also very exciting. I suspect that was the case for Matthew; and the other Apostles as well. They were familiar with their gigs and probably very good at them. But Jesus called them to a new gig. Not just a job, but a new way of life. He’s calling us to that as well. I can assure you: working for Jesus is the gig of a lifetime.
Father, we accept our new gig as a disciple of Jesus. May we invest everything into our new gig. Amen.
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