Matthew, also called Levi, lived in Capernaum and was a publican, that is, a tax collector. He followed Jesus with great enthusiasm, as St. Luke recalls, freeing himself from earthly goods. And it is Matthew who in his gospel reports the words of Jesus: “When you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing, so that your almsgiving may remain secret…”.
After Pentecost he wrote his gospel, addressed to the Jews, to make up, as Eusebius says, for his absence when he went to other people. His gospel wants first of all to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills the promises of the Old Testament, and is characterized by five important speeches of Jesus on the kingdom of God. His death was probably natural, even if unreliable sources want him to be a martyr of Ethiopia. He is depicted as old and bearded, his emblem is an angel who inspires him or guides his hand while he writes the Gospel. He often has a sword beside him, a symbol of his martyrdom.
Why was he hated?
Contempt for tax collectors in Jesus’ time was deeply rooted: they were tax collectors, and you don’t hate someone just because they work in what today we would call the tax office. But the Jews, at that time, did not pay taxes to their own sovereign and free state, but to the Roman occupiers; in practice, it was a question of financing those who oppressed them. And they looked upon the tax collector as a detestable collaborator..
Matthew does this job in Capernaum of Galilee. With his bench there in the open. Jesus sees him shortly after healing a paralytic. He calls him. He suddenly gets up, leaves everything and follows him. From that moment the taxes, the finances, the Romans cease to exist. Everything is erased by that word of Jesus: “Follow me”.
What is the biographical information?
Despite being the author of the Gospel, little is known about Matthew.
He is mentioned by name with the other Apostles in the Acts (1.13) immediately after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. Again from the Acts, Matthew is present with the other Apostles at the election of Matthias, who takes the place of Judas Iscariot. And he is standing with the other eleven, when Peter, on the day of Pentecost, speaks to the crowd, announcing that Jesus is “Lord and Christ”.
Then, he certainly preached in Palestine, among his own people, but his subsequent events are unknown to us. The Church honors him as a martyr.
Where are the relics kept?
The relics of Saint Matthew would have arrived in Velia, in Lucania, around the fifth century, where they remained buried for about four centuries. The body of the Saint was found by the monk Athanasius near a thermal spring in the ancient city of Parmenides. The remains were brought by Athanasius himself to the current church of San Matteo in Casal Velino.
The modest building with a simple gabled façade has, to the right of the altar, the arcosolium, where according to tradition the sacred relics of the Saint were deposited.
A rather late Latin inscription (18th century), set on the short side of the arcosolium, recalls the episode of the translation; the bones were subsequently taken to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Granato in Capaccio-Paestum. Found in the Lombard era, they were taken on 6 May 954 to Salernowhere they are currently preserved in the crypt of the cathedral. The Saint is the patron saint of the city.
What are the main patronages?
The name Matteo means “man of God”, from the Hebrew Saint Matthew is considered the patron saint of bankers, bankers, customs officers, the Guardia di Finanza, money changers, accountants, bookkeepers, bookkeepers and tax collectors. The papal document attesting to the recognized patronage is dated April 10, 1934 and is signed by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII.
The Pontiff who accepted the request advanced by the General Commander and supported by the Military Ordinary of the time was Pius XI. The “Pontifical Brief”, in declaring Saint Matthew Patron of the Guardia di Finanza, hopes that all members of the Corps may, following his example, unite the faithful exercise of duty towards the State with the faithful following of Christ.