San Mateo, evangelista

The Diocese of Sololá–Chimaltenango shared a reflection on the life of San Mateo, evangelista.

The report notes that San Mateo, son of Alfeo, lived in Cafarnaún and worked as a publicano, or tax collector for the Romans, before being called by Jesús to be one of the Doce. While San Marcos and San Lucas call him Leví, San Mateo identified himself as a publicano. Because of his profession, he is represented with a money bag or a counting board.

According to the Diocese, San Mateo preached in Judea and nearby countries for several years after the ascension of the Lord. Papias, bishop of Hierápolis, stated that San Mateo composed the words of the Lord in Hebrew, which were later interpreted and translated by others. His Gospel was written in Aramaic and directed toward the Jews. Some apocryphal sources suggest that after preaching in Judea, he preached among the partos and the persas, and especially in Etiopía.