St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
St. Matthew was a Galilean by birth. In the Gospel he humbly relates the story of his own conversion. To the glory of an apostle he adds that of an evangelist. He wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, and it was afterwards translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has perished. This Gospel is a divinely inspired work included in Sacred Scripture. He gives the line of ancestors from whom Jesus descended as a man, and on this account is presented by the animal with a human face in the symbolical vision of Ezekiel. Little is known of his life; the Fathers in general say that he died in Persia. St. Paulinus of Nola asserts that he died amongst the Parthians. When his remains were discovered at Velia and brought to the Cathedral of Salerno, Pope Gregory VII began his journey there, but died on the way, and was buried near the tomb of St. Matthew.
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Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Double/2nd Class/Red
Missa “Os justi”
The Calling of St. Matthew
INTROIT: Psalm 36: 30-31
The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment: the law of his God is in his heart.
Ps. 36: 1 – Be not emulous of evil-doers; nor envy them that work iniquity. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment: the law of his God is in his heart.
Os justi meditábitur sapiéntiam, et lingua ejus loquétur judícium: lex Dei ejus in corde ipsíus.
Ps. 36: 1 – Noli æmulári in malignántibus; neque zeláveris faciéntes iniquitatem. v. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancti sicut erat in principio et nunc, et semper, et saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Os justi meditábitur sapiéntiam, et lingua ejus loquétur judícium: lex Dei ejus in corde ipsíus.
COLLECT
May we be assisted, O Lord, by the prayers of the blessed apostle and evangelist, Matthew, that what our effort obtaineth not, may be granted us by his intercession. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.
Martyrdom of St. Matthew
EPISTLE: Ezechiel 1: 10-14
Lesson from Ezechiel the Prophet
As for the likeness of the faces of the four living creatures; there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four; and the face of an ox on the left side of all the four; and the face of an eagle over all the four. And their faces and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies; and every one of them went straight forward; whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went, and they turned not when they went. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.
GRADUAL: Psalm 111: 1,2
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he delights exceedingly in His commandments. V. His seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia, alleluia. V. Thee, the glorious choir of apostles doth praise, O Lord. Alleluia.
GOSPEL: Matthew 9: 9-13
The continuation of the holy Gospel according to Matthew
At that time, Jesus saw a man sitting in the custom-house, named Matthew; and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose up, and followed Him. And it came to pass, as He was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And the pharisees seeing it, said to His disciples, Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said, “They that are in health need not a physician: but they that are ill. Go, then, and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.”
Caravaggio’s Calling of St. Matthew, c. 1599-1600
OFFERTORY: Psalm 20: 4,5
O Lord, Thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones: he asked life of Thee, and Thou didst grant it to him, alleluia.
SECRET
May the oblation of Thy Church, we pray Thee, O Lord, be commended by the supplications of Thy blessed apostle and evangelist Matthew, by whose glorious preaching it is instructed. We offer Thee, O Lord, sacrifices of praise in commemoration of Thy saints, by whom we trust to be delivered from evils both present and future. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
Madonna enthroned with St. Matthew
PREFACE Preface of the Apostles
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, to entreat Thee humbly, O Lord, that Thou wouldst not desert Thy flock, O everlasting Shepherd; but, through Thy blessed apostles, wouldst keep it under Thy constant protection; that it may be governed by those same rulers, whom as vicars of Thy work, Thou didst set over it to be its pastors. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dóminations and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:
SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria Tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.
COMMUNION: Psalm 20: 6
His glory is great in Thy salvation; glory and great beauty shalt Thou lay upon him, O Lord.
POSTCOMMUNION
Having received the sacraments, O Lord, we pray Thee, by the intercession of blessed Matthew, Thine apostle and evangelist, that what has been celebrated for his glory may profit for the healing of our souls. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God…
Lessons of Matins
Lesson Four
It came to pass one day at Capernaum, that Christ went forth and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom; and he said unto him: Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house. This Levi is the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew. After that Christ was risen again from the dead, and while he was yet in Judea, before he set forth for that land which had fallen to the lot of his preaching, he wrote the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Hebrew tongue, for the sake of them of the circumcision who had believed. His was the first written of the four Gospels. Thereafter he went to Ethiopia, and there preached the Gospel, confirming his preaching with many miracles.
Lesson Five
Of his miracles, the most notable was that he raised the King’s daughter from the dead, and thereby brought to believe in Christ the King her father, his wife, and all that region. After that the King was dead, Hirtacus, who came after him, was fain to take his daughter Iphigenia to wife, but by the exhortation of Matthew she had made vow of her maidenhood to God, and stood firm to that holy resolution, for which cause Hirtacus commanded to slay the Apostle at the Altar while he was performing the mystery. He crowned the dignity of the Apostleship with the glory of martyrdom upon the 21st day of September. His body had been brought to Salerno, where it was afterwards buried in a Church dedicated in his name during the reign of Pope of Gregory VII, and there it is held in great worship and sought to by great gatherings of people.
St. Matthew ora pro nobis.
From Caesar’s Collector of Tribute to God’s Collector of Souls
BY THOMAS A. DROLESKEY
The response was immediate. The corrupt collector of tribute for the Roman occupiers, Levi, heard the call of Jesus of Nazareth and gave up his lucrative business at once. He went from being Caesar’s collector of tribute to being God’s collector souls. Levi, also known as Matthew, recorded his specific call to be one of the twelve Apostles in the Gospel he wrote under the inspiration of the the Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, God the Holy Ghost, within the first decade following Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s Ascension to the Father’s right hand in glory on Ascension Thursday:
And when Jesus passed on from hence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he saith to him: Follow me. And he rose up and followed him. And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
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