Today’s Daily Collection is from St. Matthew, Apostle
Collect: O God, who with untold mercy were pleased to choose as an Apostle Saint Matthew, the tax collector, grant that, sustained by his example and intercession, we may merit to hold firm in following you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ…
“O God, who with untold mercy were pleased to choose as an Apostle Saint Matthew, the tax collector”
— God’s mercy precedes our conversion. In fact, it is the undeserving gift of grace, coming from God’s mercy, that enables us to repent at all. By this Mercy, God’s grace can fill our hearts and minds, convict us of our great sins, make us realize the punishment we deserve, and give us assurance that He will forgive us if we repent – His ultimate goal is always to raise us up in grace and love.
“grant that, sustained by his example and intercession, we may merit to hold firm in following you”
— We are grateful that the Saints not only show us how to be holy but, by God’s grace, can also help us here and now. God, out of Love, enables us to actually participate in our own redemption and the redemption of others. This is why we can “merit” anything without denying that primacy of Grace. The ability to merit is itself God’s gift, which is why we ask for it from God just as we ask for many other gifts.
Advice: Matthew was probably carrying some burden of guilt when Jesus spoke to him and offered to free him from it. Are you aware of your sins? Are you unnecessarily holding onto that burden? What is keeping you from walking away from your sinful lifestyle as Matthew did?
Take a moment to identify your favorite sin – ask St. Matthew to pray for you to be free from it. Then, if you know of someone else who struggles with that sin, pray for them… not in a vague way – actually take a moment to kneel down and say a prayer. Consider fasting and/or making a donation on behalf of that person (skip desert and give the cost to a charity). Relying on God’s Grace, every Christian ought to try to merit greater repentance for himself and others through almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.
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| St. Matthew, pray for us! |