Can you do a Matthew?

Reviewing and meditating on the life of our Lord Jesus, there are only five sorrowful mysteries to dwell on, five joyful, five luminous, and five glorious. That makes the imitation of our Lord bearable. Most of the time, even on Tuesdays and Fridays, I pray the joyful. It's like Christmas everyday.

@RebeccasFarm Sometimes, I ponder about the young Mary three months on the family way when She visited cousin Elizabeth. That would have been an arduous journey. She had to take the return route on her sixth month of pregnancy. That was 130 kilometer to and another 130 kilometers fro. As if this was not enough, the young Lass, heavy with the Holy Child, traveled the Nativity Trail on a donkey en route to Bethlehem. I did wonder why this was in the joyful mystery. The nine months of pregnancy was difficult enough. Those travels made the condition feel like sorrow-filled. Then I thought that 'twas the Blessed Virgin's foreshadowing of the suffering She will endure for Her Son. As perhaps we Christians must die each day in the misery we see in our lives. Gosh! Couldn't wait for the glorious.

@eileenleyva You are a great example Eileen thank you.

Yup, as the apostles were called to nourish the church by preaching the Gospel, we are also called to be disciples and continue the work of spreading the Good News according to the 'gift' bestowed on us. Most of us here in mylot are 'gifted' with words. To whom much is given, much is required. Let our writing be a testament of an answer to the call "Follow Me."

@eileenleyva

Matthew provided the continuity of the Jewish tradition, He wrote the first Gospel and the message has gone through all the earth. The mission handed down to the universal church is to go out into the whole world.' Includes the lay from whatever walk of life - a father, a mother, a student, a front liner, a guard, even us writers or vloggers. We are called to bring the Good News - one Lord, one Truth, one Baptism. Thus, in a world perplexed by ambiguity, we must ascertain the Truth. Yes, we could be the new Matthews.

Interesting characters the apostles were. Matthew is not necessarily a sinner. He was a tax collector for the Romans. In the eyes of his fellow Jews, that is not acceptable. Matthew is more of the 'rejected.' That is why a Benedictine monk named St. Bede, known as the Anglo-Saxon theologian and historian, said, 'Jesus saw Matthew through the Eyes of Mercy and chose him.' Fast forward to the present age, the current Pope Francis took that as his personal motto - Mercy. That is why Pope Francis is becoming the Pope of Mercy.

You are absolutely correct. Matthew is a perfect example of 'following Jesus.' Matthew was 'moneyed' but he found something greater than money - our Lord Jesus. In following Jesus, Matthew imitated our Lord. He did his best to become like our Lord. In the end, he also gave his life for our Lord. Matthew found honor in following Jesus. Money could never give him that honor. Yes, today is his feast day. St. Matthew, pray for us, too.