Saint Matthew, in order to celebrate and give thanks for his vocation, hosted a great banquet to which he invited his friends, many of whom were considered or actually were sinners. This gesture reflects the new Apostle’s joy for his vocation, which is a great good in which one must always rejoice. If we focus only on the renunciation implied in every invitation from God to follow Him with a firmer step—if we look only at what must be left behind and not at the gift of God, the good He is going to accomplish in us and through us—sadness could set in, as it did with the rich young man who refused to leave his riches behind and went away sad. He only thought of what he was leaving behind. He never came to know the wonder of being with Christ and being His instrument for great things. "Perhaps yesterday you were one of those people whose illusions had turned bitter, disappointed in your human ambitions. Today, ever since He came into your life—thank You, my God!—you laugh and sing, and you bring a smile, Love, and happiness wherever you go."
The life of someone who has been called by Christ—and we all have been—cannot be like that of the character Jesus mentions when the parable of the prodigal son seems to have ended: the older brother who remained on his father’s estate, who was a good worker, who never left the boundaries of the father’s property... who was faithful, but without joy, without charity toward his younger brother who has finally returned. He is the living image of the righteous person who fails to understand that being able to serve God and enjoy His friendship and presence is already a continuous feast. He does not understand that in serving God lies the reward itself, that to serve is itself to reign. God expects joyful service from us, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. There are always enough reasons to celebrate, to give thanks, and to be joyful when we are serving the Lord, when we say yes to His calls.
Saint Matthew became an exceptional witness to the life and deeds of the Master. Shortly thereafter, he would be chosen as one of the Twelve to follow the Lord in all His steps: he listened to His words and contemplated His miracles, he was among the intimates who celebrated the Last Supper and attended the institution of the Eucharist, he heard the Lord's testament in the Commandment of love, and accompanied Christ to the Garden of Olives, where he would begin, along with the other disciples, a calvary of anguish, especially for having also abandoned Jesus. Afterward, very shortly after, he tasted the joy of the Resurrection and, before the Ascension, received the mandate to bring the Good News to the ends of the earth. Later, also with the disciples and the Blessed Virgin, he received the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. When writing his Gospel, he would remember so many pleasant moments alongside the Master. He understood that his life near Christ had been worth it. What a difference if he had stayed that morning bound to the tax collector’s booth and had not known how to follow Jesus as He passed by! Our life—as we well know!—is only worth living if we live it alongside Christ, in ever more faithful correspondence. If, before every call Jesus makes to us to live closer to Him, we respond with promptness and joy.
HCD