September 21 | Saint Matthew

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, we're talking about a guy who was literally the most hated man in his city.

Imagine walking down the street, and the moment people see you, they glare, whisper behind your back, or completely cross to the other side just to avoid you. You're considered a traitor to your own people, a cheat, and a thief who works for the enemy. And the craziest part? You're making a ton of money doing it. This was a real guy living in Galilee in the first century. His name was Matthew, and his story involves one of the most sudden, jaw-dropping plot twists in human history.

To understand Matthew, you have to understand his job. He was a tax collector. Back then, tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire, the invading military force that had taken over the Jewish homeland. The Romans would tell a tax collector, get us this much money from the town. Anything extra the tax collector squeezed out of the people, he got to keep. So, they were famous for being corrupt, exploiting the poor, and taking far more than they should.

Then came the day that changed absolutely everything. Matthew is sitting at his tax booth, literally surrounded by the money he's squeezing out of his neighbors. Jesus of Nazareth walks by. Jesus doesn't give him a long lecture or a ten-step plan to be a better person. He just looks at this despised, corrupt tax collector and says two simple words. Follow me. Now, think about what you would do. You'd probably say, uh, where? For how long? What about my stuff? Not Matthew. The gospel describes his reaction incredibly powerfully.

Matthew just rises and follows. There is no negotiating, no let-me-pack-my-bags, and no gradual transition. Matthew literally walks away from his stable career, his money, and his old life to follow a man who could offer him absolutely no guarantee of security.

So, what's the first thing Matthew does as a new follower of Jesus? He throws a massive dinner party. He invites Jesus over, but Matthew's only friends are other tax collectors and people considered sinners by the strict religious leaders. When the religious leaders see this, they are furious and demand to know why Jesus is hanging out with such terrible people. And Jesus delivers an incredible comeback. He says, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Matthew's totally unexpected conversion proved exactly what Jesus was all about.

Matthew didn't just get a new life. He got a totally new purpose. He became one of the original twelve apostles, witnessing Christ's life, death, and resurrection firsthand. But God didn't want Matthew to just throw away all his old skills. He wanted him to use them for good. Remember, Matthew was used to keeping strict records and accounts, so this former tax collector used those exact skills to write the Gospel of Matthew. He became a careful, organized transmitter of the teachings of Jesus, writing especially for a Jewish audience to show them how Jesus fulfilled all the ancient prophecies.

St. Matthew is the patron saint of accountants, bankers, Tax collectors and anyone who is seeking conversion. Matthew's life shows us that changing your life for the better isn't always about making tiny, gradual improvements. Sometimes it requires a clear, bold decision to instantly leave behind what is holding you back. Think of one habit, one app, or one behavior in your life right now that you know is bad for you. Don't negotiate with it. Don't say, I'll just use it five minutes less tomorrow.

Just drop it. Delete the app. Walk away from the gossip. Make a clean, decisive break today, and step into something better. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.