Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
“Some were apostles and some evangelists”- Ephesians 4:11
Today we celebrate Matthew, apostle and evangelist. Throughout the life of the church Matthew’s star shone brightest among the synoptic Gospels while Luke and Mark (most especially Mark), have shone dimly.
In the popular ‘60s sitcom “The Brady Bunch,” Jan was a middle child and Marsha the first born. Jan was exasperated with Marsha who was a standout: beautiful, smart, athletic, and very popular. Insecure Jan was constantly compared to her talented older sister to which she would lament, “Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!.”
I propose that Matthew, through the centuries, was the favored “Marsha Brady” of the evangelists. Here’s just a few reasons why, prior to 1965, most Sundays featured his Gospel:
- It is a bridge between the Old & New
- Jesus is presented as both the Davidic messiah and the greater Moses.
- It uses the word “Ekklesia,” or “Church.”
- Peter is prominent.
- The Sermon on the Mount is found
- It contains the version of the Lord’s Prayer we
- It was the most widely read and quoted text in the early
- We find here the Beatitudes and the great
- It features an Infancy narrative highlighting the magi and the star of And on and on…
As she matured, Jan Brady lost her insecurity and came to appreciate herself just as she was, no longer comparing herself to Marsha. So no more “Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!”
Thanks to the liturgical reforms/renewal of Vatican Council II, Matthew (year A) no longer dominates and takes his turn every three years, rotating with Luke (year C) & Mark (year B). We are now gifted annually with all three synoptic Gospels. So no more “Matthew! Matthew! Matthew!”
Prior, Mark was not only the “Jan Brady” of the four but the “Rodney Dangerfield” as well. He “got no respect.” This change has been especially dramatic, Mark’s rising importance (thanks to scholarship) gaining stature as THE primary Gospel, and source for Matthew & Luke. The beautiful and efficacious Gospel of Luke has his own year (year C), too.
One definition of “respect” is “to take a second look.” Scholarship of the last 100+ years did just that and discovered a treasure trove, wealth beyond measure. Is there a message here for us when we are too quick to disregard ourselves and others, failing to “take a second look?”
Sometimes treasure troves demand a “second look.” This is true now in our liturgy for all four Gospels. It can be true of our appreciation of them and the people and events in our lives as well.
-Timothy J. Cronin