![]() Through the prayers of Saint Matthew, may the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. By his example and prayers, help us to follow Christ and remain faithful in Your service. Matthew, to share the dignity of the apostles. God of mercy, You chose a tax collector, St. Let Saint Matthew be your partner in prayer as you say one of the prayers below or as part of your rosary devotion. Matthew is generally portrayed in religious medals as writing, a reference to his role as a Gospel writer or holding money which refers to his role as a tax collector prior to the call of Jesus. As a result, the image of the winged man (appearing similar to an angel) is used to combine both the natural and the supernatural. Matthew’s Gospel stresses Jesus’ human and divine nature. The symbolism of the winged man is that St. When he is depicted as a winged man, he is also shown writing his Gospel. He is most often accompanied by an angel standing next to him, instructing him of what to write of the life of Christ in his Gospel. When he is depicted as a man, he is usually either writing (his Gospel), or holding money, which signifies his occupation as a tax collector prior to becoming an apostle. Matthew is often depicted one of two ways: as a man, or as a winged man. Matthew is the patron saint of accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, security guards, and stockbrokers. Matthew is referred to as “Levi.” His feast day is celebrated on September 21. Matthew wrote his Gospel between 42-50 AD, possibly later. The destruction of the Temple took place in 70 AD, which makes historians believe that St. Since he speaks of Jerusalem and the Temple in present tense, it is believed that the Temple had not been destroyed by the Romans at the time he was writing. ![]() Matthew is the earliest-written of the four Gospels. He also wanted the Gospel to be shared with nonbelievers, hoping that they would come to know Jesus and be converted to Christianity as well. The Gospel, recording Jesus’ life, miracles, and ultimate act of sacrifice for mankind, was intended to help them to remain firm in their belief that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He wanted to encourage his fellow believers in their newfound faith, as most of them had been Jewish prior to their conversion to Christianity. He wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, which was the tongue of the Hebrew people at that time. Matthew wrote his Gospel while away from home preaching. Also unrecorded is his death, which means it is unknown if he died a natural death, or was martyred for his faith. Historical record pertaining to his activity does not exist however, there are traditions that have been passed down through the ages – some suggesting he traveled to Ethiopia to continue his mission, while others state he went to Parthia and Persia. Matthew stayed within the area of Palestine when he first began preaching. Jesus and Saint MatthewĪfter Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the apostles began their mission of going out to all the world to tell the Good News of Christ. Matthew, since the tax collectors were hated by most Jews. It came as a great surprise to many when Jesus called St. As such, he was considered to be among the “sinners” due to the unfair practices conducted by tax collectors under Roman rule. Matthew, before he was called by Jesus to become His apostle, was a Jewish tax collector. ![]() He wrote the first Gospel, recording the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Matthew was one of the twelve apostles – the first to respond to the call to follow Jesus. Every Sunday (or every day, really) when the Gospel is proclaimed at Mass, there is a chance one may hear the words “a reading from the Gospel according to St.
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