September 21 – St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Feast)

Antiphons at Lauds - Psalms of Sunday of the 1st week

1. This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you.

2. No one has any love greater than this: that one gives up his life for his friends.

3. You are my friends, if you do that which I command you.

Eph. 2, 19-22

Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. In him all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord: in him also you, through the Spirit, are built together in a habitation where God dwells.

Brethren, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

For unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he says, "When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

Now that "he ascended", what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

A Galilean by birth his name before his conversion was Levi; he was a publican. This profession was that of collector of the Roman taxes and was very odious to the Jews who were thus reminded of their dependence. Generally harsh and greedy, the publican was considered by pharisees to be the type of the sinner. Wherefore the Church shows us Jesus as the healer of souls who calls Matthew to penance.

St Matthew recounts in the Gospel he wrote, his own conversion. In the famous vision where Ezechiel saw four symbolical animals, these have, from the earliest centuries been considered as types of the four evangelists. St. Matthew is recognized by the animal with a human face, because he starts off his Gospel by tracing the human descent of Jesus. His object in writing this book, which is stamped by true wisdom, was to prove that Jesus realized the prophecies relating to the deliverance of Israel and that for this reason He is the Messias.

After Pentecost, the apostle preached the good news in Palestine and in Ethiopia where he was martyred.

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