From Spiritual Insights Into an Essential Encounter with God by Fr. Donald Haggerty
Example of St. Matthew: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9:9–13).
“At a side altar in the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome is a magnificent Caravaggio painting depicting the call of Saint Matthew the tax collector. A young rakish Matthew in his twenties sits slumped over a table surrounded by some friends and associates. His head is bent downward, and his eyes are downcast and staring. One hand dangles feebly near the scattered coins in front of him. Jesus stands a few feet before Matthew at the other side of the table, with a piercing gaze cast upon him. Behind Jesus, a strong beam of light shines into the room from the doorway. Jesus’ arm is horizontally raised across the table, and a single finger of his outstretched hand points directly toward Matthew. The other figures in the scene are all aware that Matthew alone has been signaled. Matthew’s discomfort, his desire to disappear with no place to hide, is all too clear. The painting captures wonderfully a man’s soul confronting its hour of truth. Caravaggio takes us inside that long, dreadful instant of painful uncertainty when a decision must be made for or against Jesus Christ, the crossroad that will mark a lifetime depending on a soul’s choice” (8-9).
“Divine mercy is an extraordinary gift when great sins have marred a life. But God’s mercy is not intended simply for the forgiveness of sin. It is meant for the sake of a life that will stretch ever farther after a conversion in an intensity of love. The Lord who on an earlier day rescued us deserves nothing less than a life of great love in gratitude to him” (10).
Prodigal Catholic 