Reflections on Matthew: The Calling of St. Matthew

As Jesus passed on from there [Capernaum], he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, ‘Follow me.’  And he got up and followed him” (Mt 9:9).

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew is pictured above.  It was painted in 1600 and hangs in the Contarelli chapel of Rome’s Church of San Luigi de Francesi.  Pope Francis has said that he often went to the church as a young man to contemplate the painting.

Is St. Matthew the man with the black hat pointing with a look of surprise on his face as if saying “Who, me?”, or the younger looking man with his head still down counting the coins?  We do not know for sure, although as far as I know most think it is the man pointing.  Perhaps the ambiguity is a way that Caravaggio puts the observer’s focus more on the Caller than the called.  Jesus Christ is the person all the way to the right.  Jesus has an impressive look of determination on his face, certain as to who He is calling and able almost to bring light down upon this person and into this gathering of tax collectors.  The light travels from right to left in the same direction as Christ extending out his hand. The light emerges from just above Jesus and seems to be a powerful extension of Him. 

We can see a lot of physical movement in the painting.  Look at Christ’s feet; they are already turned away and he is walking to his next destination.  The young man directly to the left of St. Peter appears almost to be getting up in a mildly aggressive manner drawing his sword to stop Jesus. The scene has pointing, facial movements, and probably conversation.

But there is another more important type of movement in the painting: spiritual movement.  Christ in his will wants this man to follow Him. And St. Matthew is undergoing movement in his heart.  Will he change his ways, leave his money behind, get up and follow Him? Will He allow this man of light to cleanse him of his sins?  Will he answer the call to leave his life behind and become not just a disciple but also an Apostle, a leader in this man’s Church?  Caravaggio beautifully paints this type of movement too.

What an amazing, powerful scene. There is so much happening here. There are movements of the body masterfully depicted and more importantly movements of the heart. St. Matthew answers the call and follows Jesus, giving his entire life to Him. May we follow his example and hastily get up from our tables to follow as well.

Reflections on Matthew: You are the Light of the World (Mt 5:14)

I read an online article a while ago that says that our country has not been this divided since the Civil War.  There have always been differing points of view in America from the very beginning of our history, but now what we see are two giant irreconcilable points of view, two philosophies that cannot coexist or find common ground. People differ on major questions such as when life begins, whether there is a God, and whether truth exists or whether everything is just someone’s opinion or point of view.  Despite the major differences, too often people do not want to sit down and talk through their differing opinions.  We just get angry and impatient.  In February a group of students did not like a speaker that was speaking at UC Berkeley, but rather than write a letter to the campus newspaper they started breaking windows and burning things.  

This is a real problem. Thankfully we are not powerless though in the face of what we see happening.  As Christians we are agents of love and unity. We can bring about peace.  We have been given great power by God through our baptism.  Jesus says to his disciples: "You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”  We should not give into the negative view that religious people, that Christianity, does not have anything to offer to the world and that we should be quiet.  No, we are what the world needs, now more than ever, even desperately.

By living out the Gospel message of the Beatitudes, of dependence on God, meekness, mercy, peacemaking and righteousness, we are light, love and life in the world.  We influence the world for good. The Bishops of Vatican II in their document Lumen Gentium describe the Church – you and me --- as “a lasting and sure seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race.“ 

The Beatitudes which we hear about in Matthew chapters 5-7 are the roadmap to unity.   They teach us to “Avoid quarrels, harsh or hurtful words and actions…  [A]void all abruptness of manner, and never speak while in an angry mood”  (Adolphe Tanqueray, The Spiritual Life, number 1164).   They teach us to offer a pleasant word, to suffer patiently… to control my tongue, even in the face of someone who hates me.  This is light that overcomes the darkness.