Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Matthew! Feasts in the church are celebrated sundown to sundown so the feasting begins tonight!
The Feast of St. Matthew is the day that we celebrate Matthew, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
In the gospels of Matthew and Mark we are given the story of the call of Matthew (also known as Levi). We are told that Matthew was a tax collector and was sitting by the customs house in Capernaum when Jesus walked by. The description is brief but powerful. Jesus simply says, “Follow me” and Matthew gets up, leaves everything and follows him! How amazing!
Both gospels then say that Jesus ate at Matthew’s house with his disciples and that many publicans and sinners ate with them. When the religious leaders saw who Jesus was eating with they were furious. They asked the disciples how it was that Jesus was able to eat with such notorious sinners. Jesus overheard them and told them that it was not the healthy who needed a doctor, but the sick. Then he told them to go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, Matthew remained in Jerusalem with the rest of the disciples. He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and became an apostle of the Lord or “one sent out” to proclaim the gospel of the Lord. Matthew wrote an account of the life of Jesus and it is known as The Gospel According to Matthew. It is the first gospel account in the New Testament and is believed to be written to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus was the Messiah.
Ways to Celebrate:
Read the story of the call of Matthew with your family. Matthew 9:9-13 or Mark 2:13-17.
Since St. Matthew dealt with money, we are making stacks of little pancakes to resemble coins.
In Logrono, Spain, the celebration of St. Matthew’s Day falls during the time of their grape harvests so the whole week is called Las Fiestas de San Mateo (the festivals of St. Matthew). Eat grapes or anything related to grapes. Parents, enjoy a nice glass of wine!
Listen to St. Matthew's Passion by Bach
Easy Fluffy Pancakes for St. Matthew’s Day
1 egg
3 TBL butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ salt
1 cup buttermilk
Melt the butter. When cool, blend in the egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the egg, butter and buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Heat a griddle to medium low heat. Melt 1 tsp of butter in the griddle. Pour out batter making small circles. Flip when golden brown. Drizzle with honey or syrup. Makes 2-3 servings.