What the Text Says
Jesus is walking along and sees a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. He says to him, “Follow me.” Matthew gets up and follows him (Mt 9:9). Later, Jesus is at dinner in Matthew’s house, and many tax collectors and sinners come and sit with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees ask why Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus answers, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:10-13).
What the Church Teaches
Christ’s call to Matthew is not conditioned on Matthew cleaning up his reputation first. It is an invitation straight into the middle of his compromised work. The Catechism teaches, “Jesus invites sinners to the table of the kingdom: ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’ He invites them to that conversion without which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his Father’s boundless mercy” (CCC 545). Matthew is called at his desk, not after an interview.
Matthew’s response is not a partial commitment. He leaves the entire life his tax booth represented. The Catechism teaches that “Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone,” and that “the precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven” (CCC 2544). Matthew’s tax post was his livelihood and his security, and he leaves it the moment he is called, without negotiation.
Personal Reflection: For Fathers
(This section is pastoral application and personal takeaway, not a restatement of defined Church teaching. If a specific situation in your own household is weighing on you, bring it to confession or a conversation with a priest rather than treating this reflection as a ruling.)
Matthew’s profession, collecting taxes for Rome, made him a collaborator in his own countrymen’s eyes, associated with corruption and extortion. Jesus calls him anyway, in the middle of his workday, at his own desk. A father whose career or past carries real regret does not need a clean résumé to be useful to Christ or to his own family. He needs to actually get up and follow, the way Matthew does, the moment he is called, rather than waiting until his record looks better.
Notice, too, what Matthew does immediately after being called: he does not quietly slip away from his old life. He throws a dinner and brings his old crowd, tax collectors and sinners, into direct contact with Jesus. A father’s own conversion is very often most useful to the very people he used to run with, not despite his old life but because of his familiarity with it. He does not need to hide where he came from to lead his family well now.
Call to Action
This week, do one act of hospitality that brings someone from your own past, or someone others might have written off, into some real contact with your faith, the way Matthew brought his old crowd to dinner with Jesus. If there is a part of your past you have been hiding from your own family out of shame, consider whether it might actually be useful to them honestly told, the way Matthew’s history made him useful to the sinners he brought to Christ’s table. Name one area of comfort or security you have been unwilling to leave behind for the sake of following Christ more fully, and take one concrete step this week.
Doctrinal note: Claims above are tied to CCC 545 and 2544. Translation used: RSV-CE. Please confirm any point you plan to teach publicly with a priest, deacon, or trusted catechist before publishing.
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