Monday, October 08, 2007 Alipio: Following Christ By Jose Alipio The Yoke
Mt 9:9-13
TODAY’S gospel lesson contains the story of the call of Matthew to become a disciple of Jesus. The circumstances of Matthew’s call are a bit unusual because Matthew happened to be a tax collector. Now tax collectors are seldom popular in any community but they were doubly unpopular among the Jews of Jesus’ day. The land of Palestine was under the rule of the Roman Empire who collected heavy taxes from their subject peoples. Thus, the tax collector was an agent of the hated Romans. Given their unpopularity, it was extraordinary that Jesus called a tax collector to become his disciple. But Jesus always saw past the public image and into the human heart. He knew that Matthew was an honorable and honest man. So he gave Matthew the chance to become one of his followers.
Christ gives each one of us the same chance. His call to us is the same as his call to Matthew. “Follow me!” But what does it mean to follow Christ? Even in Matthew’s day, being a follower of Jesus meant more than traveling with him from place to place. Following Jesus means embracing the same beliefs about God and humankind that he held. He saw God as his Father and every human being as his brother or sister. Following Jesus means affirming the same values that he held. He put people ahead of principles. Morality was more important than ritual to him. He served the nearest and the neediest first. Following Jesus means becoming an incarnation -- an embodiment -- of the very love of God. He was the human face and hands of God and so are all those who are his followers.
