As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed Him.
And as He sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to
His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
But when He heard it, 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, and not sacrifice.’ For
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
— Matthew 9:9-13
The call of St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, is one of the great and memorable scenes in the New Testament.
I was in Rome last month, providing commentary for various news networks who were covering the papal conclave. It was a fascinating, exhausting and exhilarating seven days! And it culminated, to everyone’s astonishment, with the election of a pope from America, indeed from my own hometown of Chicago.