Words of the Holy Father- Matthew a “publican-a collaborator,Jesus that sees the other,love-09-21-24

 Words of the Holy Father- Matthew a “publican-a collaborator,Jesus that sees the other,love-09-21-24

Few people saw Matthew as he was: they knew him as the one who was “sitting at the tax office” (v. 9). He was, in fact, a tax collector: that is, someone who collected taxes on behalf of the Roman empire that occupied Palestine. In other words, he was a collaborator, a traitor to the people. We can imagine the contempt the people felt for him: he was a “publican”, as they were called. But in the eyes of Jesus, Matthew is a man, with both his miseries and his greatness. 

Be aware of this: Jesus does not stop at the adjective — Jesus always seeks out the noun. “This person is a sinner, he’s that kind of person…” these are adjectives: Jesus goes to the person, to the heart, “This is a person, this is a man, this is a woman”. (…) This gaze  of Jesus that sees the other, whoever he may be as the recipient of love, is really beautiful and it is the beginning of evangelizing passion. Everything starts from this gaze, which we learn from Jesus. (…) We can ask ourselves: what is our gaze like towards others? (General Audience, 11 January 2023)

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/50681