The heart of a holy king is in the hand of God. That means a holy king keeps his life centered within the will of God. If a king does not conduct himself in such a way that his heart senses the slightest movements of the finger of God – the Holy Spirit – he cannot be a holy king. We may not all be kings, but we must all govern our hearts and lives in a similar way. How can we become sensitive to the will of God? By daily practicing the commandments and daily listening to his Word.
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
The call of St. Matthew is highly instructive about how we also can be effective witnesses to Jesus. St. Matthew was a tax collector and therefore considered dishonest. It is likely that even though he was involved in a trade that was shunned by society he was still a God-fearing man. We learn that after St. Matthew responds to Jesus’, he is at table in his home with Jesus and joined by many other tax collectors and sinners. These other people were probably friends or at least acquaintances of Matthew – they understood they were welcome in his home, and they understood that they would be able to receive healing from Jesus. St. Matthew played an important role in facilitating the work of Jesus. St. Matthew’s hospitality – though shunned by the pious – served the mission of Christ.
Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“If you have received worthily, you are what you have received.” – St. Augustine. That is why we celebrate today the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Eucharistic mystery certainly pertains to how a divine food nourishes and transforms us without our consciously understanding how. It is also the mystery of how Christ is born in our hearts through faith and grows to full stature without our understanding how. Grace comes to the help of our human nature, making it capable of living the divine life of God – if we are willing. We become worthy of the Eucharistic bread in the same way that Mary became worthy to bear the Son of God: willingness. “Let it be done unto me according to thy Word.” Mary did not understand what would be happening to her when she consented to the Father’s Word delivered to her by the angel Gabriel. We do not understand what will happen to us when we say “Amen – so be it” to the Eucharistic Bread we receive at Mass. Our willingness – like Mary’s – does not require us to see in advance exactly where this Bread, this Word, will take us. Yet we know that it is the way of the Cross and the way of Resurrection. “A sword will pierce your heart also.”