Today the church celebrates the feast of Saint Matthew the Evangelist. Tradition tells us that Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans. In the first century, tax collectors were regarded as sinners and they were known for cheating their own people for their own self gain. In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us that he came to the world, not for the righteous but rather for the sinner. “Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what that means. ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9: 12-13