St. Matthew: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: September 21 (Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist)
Patron of: Accountants, bankers, and tax collectors.
About St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist
St. Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector in Capernaum, a man working for the Roman authorities and therefore despised by many of his own people. One day Jesus passed his customs post and said, "Follow me," and Matthew rose, left everything, and followed Him. He then threw a great banquet for Jesus, inviting his fellow tax collectors and others considered sinners. When the Pharisees complained, Jesus answered, "They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. I came not to call the just, but sinners."
Tradition attributes to Matthew the first Gospel, written especially for Jewish Christians. It shows Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets and preserves the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the Our Father in the form most Christians pray it. Ancient writers disagree about where he preached afterward, but the Church honors him as a martyr, and his feast is kept on September 21. The great painting by Caravaggio of his calling captures the heart of his story: grace can find us at our desks, in the middle of ordinary business.
Prayers to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist on Daily Catholic Prayers
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