I suppose that we have certain images and expectations of different people and their roles in life. And when those expectations get changed or turned around, it is never easy. And it’s hard to get used to. After years and years of going out to get the mail after the MAILMAN came by, I can still remember my shock when the new mailman was actually, ta-dah!, a Mail-woman, or even more politically correct, a Mail-person. It was like “What’s this?’. This is not the way things are supposed to be. People do not always fit in the “box” that we like to put them in. And so a woman can be the fastest rookie race car driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the month of May. The big biker guy with tattoos all over his body can be a gourmet cook. And the brilliant young student who looks like she is twelve years old really can be your doctor. By the way, isn’t it hard to go to a doctor that’s younger than you are? Have you had that happen yet? It’s also hard to go to confession to a priest who is younger than you are. But as we all get older, we’re just going to have to get used to it. Sometimes, people just don’t fit the “mold” that we have of them.

St. Matthew, who’s calling we hear today in our Gospel, doesn’t fit the “mold” of being an Apostle either. St. Matthew was a tax collector. And while we might have some negative connotations associated with this today with the IRS, let me assure you, that what Matthew was, was much, much worse. He was a thief. He was traitor to his people. He lied and cheated routinely. He grew rich off of his sins at the expense of the poor. This is not a good person. Matthew was a mess. And yet, when Jesus came along that day and said, “Come, follow me”. Matthew got up immediately and left his old world behind. It was bad enough that Jesus would even talk to a person such as Matthew, but it was unthinkable that He would ask Matthew to be one of His Apostles and then go to Matthew’s house to eat and drink with Matthew’s old friends. Jesus’ reaching out to Matthew cost Him a lot of respect and did significant damage to His reputation. Good people didn’t do this. Back in Jesus’ time, and even right on up to our time, Good people don’t hang around with people who make that kind of mess of their lives. And yet, Jesus did. Jesus didn’t condone what they were doing. He didn’t tell them it was alright. In fact, He called them to leave their sinful ways behind. But He didn’t write them off. He didn’t ignore them. He didn’t just call the righteous. He calls everyone. Jesus loved even Matthew.

And here, my brothers and sisters, this is where this Gospel really becomes Good News for each and every one of us. The truth is that we are all a lot more like that sinful Matthew than we are like some perfect icon of what we think a follower of Jesus must be like. We are all called. It doesn’t matter where we are at. It doesn’t matter where we have been or what we’ve done. We are all called to confess our sins, to make amends, and to go on and be like Christ. Everybody has their pasts. Our job has to be to keep our past in the past, and to keep growing in the Christian life. That’s what Matthew did. He left behind the money. He left behind his worldly ways. He left behind his friends who wanted to cling to sin. He chose God. And today we revere Matthew as a saint and as one of the foundations of our Church.

God’s mercy can do that. God’s mercy can take the most sinful person that you can imagine, and God can turn their life completely around. God doesn’t give up on us no matter how far away we might stray. We are the ones who give up on God, and then we try and blame Him. This Gospel paints a very different picture. And it is a picture that brings hope to all of us, who think that we aren’t good enough.

Jesus’ followers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, colors and heights, and they have all kinds of gifts and blessings, and all kinds of crosses and hardships. All you have to have to follow Jesus is a soul. And God gave us all one of those when He created us. Maybe you think you don’t fit the “mold” of Christianity. St. Matthew didn’t either, and so that puts you in some pretty good company. Give Jesus a chance in your life.

And while we’re at it, we need to give each other a chance too. People can change. God is working on each and every one of us. We are works in progress, not finished products. We’d do well to remember that when it comes to our dealings with one another. We all want the chance to be better. How can we not give that same chance to our brothers and sisters around us?

So what does a Catholic Christians look like? How do they act? What do they do? What do they like? Maybe we need to all expand our ideas because everybody is called. We all have the potential to be saints - even tax collectors.

God bless us all, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti… Pray for us !!!