March 11, 2014
The Call of Matthew
A reading from the Gospel of Saint Matthew 9, 9 – 17:
As Jesus passed up from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. God and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Then the disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
There was a mistake in the last message. I made the mistake not Jesus. I wrote about Jesus that He is “the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity” but Jesus is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Please make the correction.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words, “I call you all My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters who believe in Me to come and follow Me in My Church. You know that when I started My public life, I selected 12 Apostles and I went around and called each one of them. Among those I called was Matthew who was a tax collector. For the Jewish people, tax collectors were sinners and no Jew would eat with such people. So when Matthew prepared a feast for Me, he invited many tax collectors. So the Pharisees were not happy at all to see Me eating with these men. They thought I should not eat with sinners. The problem with the Pharisees is that they did not know the mission I had been given. I answered the Pharisees saying to them that I had come not to save the righteous but sinners. Of course the Pharisees were as much sinners as everybody else. In fact all human being are sinners. The Jews would not have agreed with my selection of Matthew because of what he did but I can see the heart of individuals and not just the exterior of a person. I chose Matthew and he did great work especially by writing the first Gospel in the Bible and today he is a great saint. I ask you all to call upon him to pray for you.
We are now in the season of Lent and it is the time to fast. I was asked by the disciples of John the Baptist why the Apostles did not fast like they did. I told them that as long as I was with them they could not fast but when I will be taken away then they will fast. Indeed that is what happened. Fasting is important for a Christian so that you will control your pride and needs and all your desires.
I bless you all and I call you all to remain united to Me.”
Father Melvin
P.S. Please pray that the desires of Jesus and Our Blessed Mother for the Shrine and the Monasteries will soon be realized. May the Lord bless you all.