20260921 HELPING OTHERS TO FULFIL THEIR VOCATION IN LIFE PERFECTLY
21 September 2026, Monday, St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
First reading |
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13 |
We are all to come to unity, fully mature in the knowledge of the Son of God
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. To some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 18(19):2-5 |
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Te Deum |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 9:9-13 |
It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick
As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’
HELPING OTHERS TO FULFIL THEIR VOCATION IN LIFE PERFECTLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EPH 4:1-7, 11-13; MATT 9:9-13]
The Scripture readings today invite us to reflect on our own vocation in life. Everyone has a specific vocation in this world. As St. Paul tells us, some are called to be prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers. All vocations are necessary for the building up of the Church, the body of Christ. All vocations, therefore, are directed at the building up of humanity–of the individual person–so that all of us come to unity in our faith, in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect person, fully mature with the fullness of Christ Himself.
So, every vocation is meant to help us realise our potential in life, to help us live meaningful and truly fulfilling lives, and to help us attain self-realisation, which is what it means to be the perfect man. Until we attain self-realisation, until we fully use our potential, our lives will always be restless. That is why sometimes–and this happens very often in organisations–we have a colleague or employee who has so much talent and potential, but we give them a position that is not suitable for them. They want to give more, but the boss feels threatened: “Don’t do too much. Maintain the status quo. Don’t spoil the market. Just do these few little things that we asked you to do.” And so, the person will never find fulfilment, because he or she has so much to give, but his or her initiative, creativity, and resourcefulness are not being used. Eventually, that person will have to find work somewhere else, because the organisation cannot enable him or her to fulfil the potential that lies within them.
I think it is very important for us in every organisation to realise that our task is to help people fulfil their potential in life. Organisations must not stifle the growth of the individual. It is very important that as an organisation–and even more so as a Christian organisation – our task is not just to make sure the office functions smoothly and efficiently. Our task is to ensure that every worker and collaborator achieves their potential in life to find fulfilment.
This is what St. Paul reminds us all. At the end of the day, true happiness in life comes from knowing that we have used our talents wisely. Most importantly, these talents are meant to be at the service of the body of Christ. Our talents are not just for ourselves; they are always for the service of building up the Church. That is why St. Paul said, “I implore you to live a life worthy of your vocation.” Are you living a life worthy of your vocation? In other words, are you living out your vocation to the fullest, or are you still reserving energy for superficial pursuits? Of course, leisure is fine for relaxation, but some people are simply not using their talents fully for the building up of the community and the service of the people of God.
It is very interesting that in today’s Gospel reading, we have the conversion of St. Matthew. I think St. Matthew is a wonderful example of how Jesus, in His ministry, brings out a person’s true vocation. St. Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors provide an essential service for the country, just like any other profession. Sometimes they make our lives miserable, but we need them because no country or society can function without taxes. The tax revenue department is essential. Otherwise, how can we govern, how can we serve the common good of society, or build roads without tax revenue? We need people to collect taxes. The Roman emperors hired people to collect taxes on their behalf, franchising this service to local Jews because they could best deal with their own people. Every profession and every vocation is noble, regardless of what you do in life. It does not matter whether it is a professional role or a menial task; it is an important vocation for the common good.
So what was the problem with St. Matthew, who was then called Levi? The problem was that he was more than just a tax collector–he was a cheat. He collected more than was necessary. He was unreasonable and charged exorbitant taxes, and that extra money did not go to the Roman Emperor; it went into his own pocket. That was the problem. So, although his vocation was to be a tax collector, he was not being faithful to himself or to his calling. This is very true in life. We can always abuse our office or position, whether as an accountant cheating a company, or a police officer abusing authority to exploit others. In any position in society, we can fall into the trap of using our status for our own selfish interests. That is where the temptation lies – when we fail to use our vocation, position, or office to build up society for the common good.
When it becomes all about ourselves, we fail to live out our vocation in the worthy manner St. Paul describes. Yet, Jesus understood that St. Matthew had a great vocation. Being a tax collector was fine, but Matthew was not being faithful to it. Jesus was a man of immense mercy and deep empathy for his fellow human beings. When He saw St. Matthew, I’m sure He saw a man who was unfulfilled. Matthew was collecting money and making a profit, but deep down he must have felt guilty, just like Zacchaeus. He wasn’t truly happy. Honestly, those of us who use our position solely for our own benefit–sometimes even at the expense of our brothers and sisters–can never be truly happy with that kind of money, because it is ill-gotten gain. It is not honest money.
Jesus saw that St. Matthew was feeling inadequate and unhappy and He called out to him to “Come, follow me.” In saying this, Jesus saw the goodness in St. Matthew. The religious leaders and Pharisees asked His disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” In other words, they wrote them off completely–viewing them as hopeless, corrupt, and destined for hell. They believed such people could not be helped and should be marginalised and ostracised. But Jesus looked at St. Matthew and saw someone who was living out his vocation but not being faithful to it. He wanted to help him. So He called St. Matthew.
When St. Matthew was called by the Lord, he was deeply touched and moved, because he knew his own flaws better than anyone else.Yet, Jesus still called him to be an apostle. He was moved to conversion. Remember Zacchaeus–he gave up his wealth, saying, “Half of my possessions I will give to the poor.” In that moment, St. Matthew became aware of what his vocation was truly about: being at the service of others. He was transformed and filled with joy. He threw a large dinner, and many other tax collectors came. Once again, Jesus took the opportunity to attend this “scandalous” dinner with all the tax collectors. Jesus never ostracises people or write them off; He sees hope for change in every one of us.
We are certainly not perfect, but Jesus does not see us as incorrigible. He never gives up on us. He shared a meal with those tax collectors to help them and to form their consciences on how to be good, honest tax collectors. When Jesus went there, His intention was to heal. “I came,” He said, “not to call the righteous, but sinners”–to help them be true to their vocation in life. That is how Jesus brings about change: by always viewing people with hope. As we strive to live out our own vocations, it is crucial that we adopt this same attitude.
All of us–especially those in leadership or supervisory roles–have a duty not only to ensure that our organisations thrive, but also to ensure that the talents of those under us are developed so that they can realise their potential in life. It is our duty to help others fulfil their vocations. You only truly fulfil your own vocation when you help others fulfil theirs. In this way, we grow together as the Church.
It is this perspective that helps us build up the Church and, as St. Paul says, “preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.” We are called to share the same hope, one faith, and one baptism. What a beautiful calling this is for all of us. Your vocation is not just about performing tasks; you are called to be an apostle. An apostle is an ambassador. When you fulfil your vocation, you act as an apostle. You do not necessarily have to leave everything behind to enter a formal ministry; simply by living out your daily vocation faithfully, you become an apostle of Christ in whatever you do. This is a vital lesson from today’s readings.
My final point for today’s homily is that while some of us are called to work in mass media, accounting, medicine, or other fields, the Lord sometimes calls us to serve as full-time apostles in the priesthood or religious life. We should not think that professional skills can only be used in a standard worldly context; those skills can be brought directly or indirectly into the mission. The discipline, perspective, and mindsets we gain in our careers bring immense value when dedicated to the priesthood or religious life. Bringing our diverse talents into the proclamation of the Gospel sparks creativity and helps the Church address challenges in fresh, innovative ways.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
