St. Matthew

St. Matthew was an Apostle and Evangelist. He was called to be an apostle while serving as a tax collector in Capernaum. He was one of those dirty tax collectors who Jesus ate with. While men who collected Jewish taxes for the Romans were scorned by their communities, they were a wealthy and well-educated group. Matthew would have known both Greek and Hebrew. He left his profession and followed Christ. 

Saint Matthew and the Angel by Michelangelo

As an apostle he preached in Palestine. The Gospel attributed to him was written before 70 AD, as it makes no mention of the destroyed temple. It is believed that around 42 AD Matthew traveled to either Africa or Persia, but much of his later life is unknown. The Church believes it is likely that he was martyred. His feast day is September 21.

The four Evangelists are often depicted with one of the four creatures of Revelation 4. St. Matthew is depicted with a winged man (sometimes considered an angel), symbolizing humanity and reason. Matthew’s Gospel focuses on Christ the man (where Mark focuses on Christ the king, Luke focuses on Christ the priest, and John focuses on Christ the divine).

St. Matthew is particularly on my mind because I have two big accounting tests today. As the patron of accountants, bookkeepers, and bankers, his prayers would be most appreciated.