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The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle, 21 September 2022
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 <*{{{{>< + ><}}}}*> Matthew 9:9-13
You never fail to amaze me, Lord Jesus Christ with your unique manner and ways of finding us, calling us, and loving us.
Of your Twelve Apostles, only five were called while working: the brothers Simon and Andrew, James and John who were fishermen and Matthew, a tax collector; the first four belonged to the most ordinary and lowliest job of the time, fishing, while Matthew did the most despicable job of collecting taxes unjustly for Roman colonizers making him both a sinner and a traitor.
But, you have your plans that are so different from our ways when you told the Pharisees and scribes that "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do... I did not come to call the righteous but sinners" (Mt.9:12, 13).
Thank you, Lord Jesus for still calling me when I was at my lowest point in life, when I was most sinful, when everyone was rejecting me; thank you, Jesus, for believing in me, in calling me to come, follow you; help me to rise from my pit of anger and bitterness, hopelessness and desolation like Matthew, leaving all evil and sins to follow you and share you with everyone.
Help me, Jesus, to write the fifth gospel according to my life like Matthew by "living in a manner worthy of the call I have received" (Eph. 4:1). Amen. St. Matthew, pray for us!
*You may also want to check our reflection on Caravaggio’s painting “Calling of St. Matthew” by clicking this link:
