Do Christians Answer Jesus' Call?
Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time July 4th, 2025.
There is something that has always struck me about today’s gospel reading—The calling of St. Matthew. The image has been seared into my soul by Caravaggio’s painting of the event. So, in my reflection today, instead of doing an exegetical reflection, it will be more of an art appreciation one.
Caravaggio is my favorite Catholic artist. The way he plays with light and darkness visually brings out my love for neoplatonic form concepts made famous in Christian philosophy by St. Augustine of Hippo. Take a moment to examine this piece of art. There are three things about this particular image that I’d like to reflect on today. The first being the debate on, “Who is Matthew in the image?” Is it the gentleman who is pointing to himself, or is it the young man whose face is buried in his arms, looking despondent, with life thus needing the font of life—Jesus?
Naturally, the second part of the image I want to bring attention to is Carvaggio’s use of light in the work. The room is dark and likely filled with unsavory figures. At times in our lives, we may find ourselves physically and/or spiritually in a place like this room, where we feel trapped. This is why the good news of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is, in fact, good news!
It’s good news because the third thing I want to bring to your attention is to take a look at Jesus’ hand in this painting. What is interesting about Jesus’ hand in this picture is that Caravaggio mirrors Jesus’ hand with Adam’s from Michelangelo’s depiction of the Creation of Adam.
Art scholars, naturally, connect the use of the hand to representing one of Jesus’ natures, His humanity. In some sense, Caravaggio could have used the Father’s hand to represent Christ’s divinity. Still, the artist chose to use Adam’s hand to symbolize the restoration of humanity’s fallen state by the condescension of our LORD in the second person of the Blessed Trinity. St. Irenaeus of Lyons writes about divine condescension in Against Heresies:
In all things, however, He is man, the formation of God. Recapitulating man in Himself, the invisible is made visible, the incomprehensible is made comprehensible, and that which is not subject to suffering is made subject to suffering. The Word, becoming man, recapitulates all things in Himself, so that just as the Word of God is foremost in things super-celestial, spiritual, and invisible, so also in things visible and corporeal He might have the primacy; and so that, in taking the primacy to Himself, and in constituting Himself the Head of the Church, He might at the proper time draw all things to Himself.1
and
If the one did indeed suffer while the other remained incapable of suffering; and if the one, indeed, was born, but the other descended upon Him that was born and afterwards left Him; then it is evident that there were not one but two.… Make no mistake: Jesus Christ the Son of God is one and the same, who by suffering reconciled us to God, who rose from the dead, who is at the right hand of the Father, and perfect in all things.… For He Himself truly worked salvation, He Himself is the Word of God, Himself the Only-begotten of the Father, Christ Jesus our Lord.2
Jesus says in today’s gospel reading, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” The truth is that we are born sick—born to suffer, as St. Ireneus puts it. We are born into that dark room where Caravaggio puts St. Matthew. Make no mistake, those of us who are baptized and know the gospel put ourselves back into that room when we sin against God.
But there is hope!
Jesus breaks into the world and calls us to conversion: Repent and believe the gospel! Our conversions may take a lifetime of mini-conversions, but take hope because God has called you to be part of His elect. You have reasonable hope for your salvation so long as you trust in God, no matter how much you fall. The theological virtue of hope is the fighter’s virtue that defends you against the sin against the Holy Spirit.
The question remains, we who have been baptized into the threefold office of Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, and King—what are we doing with this responsibility and call to be “little Christs?” Jesus tells us today, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice…”
What does that mean to you? How are you living that out every day of your life?
W. A. Jurgens, trans., The Faith of the Early Fathers, vol. 1 (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1970–1979), 91-92
Ibid, 92.
I have always thought of this painting as the painting of the hands. Jesus’ call, his hand, is mimicked by Peter’s. The Church’s call is the same as Jesus’ call to conversion. The hand pointing to Matthew, the youth with his head down, almost saying … “you mean him, not me.” These are the hands of those who resist the call or prevent the sinners return. Then there are the two hands on the money, one hand belongs to Matthew who may be letting go and the other hand of the man with glasses, pulling the money back toward himself. The one hears the call of the Lord, the second grasps at the money echoing the call of the world.
With Caravaggio, you do follow the light along the pathway of the hands.
The question is… whose hands are yours?
I’ve read a lot of debate on what’s going on this image & it just shows what a magnificent piece of art work. I never tire looking at it.
But the hands are crucial as you highlight, I’ve never paid much attention to Peter’s hand. Thank you for pointing it out to me.