Saint Matthew - San Mateo, California
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hotshoe
N 37° 33.542 W 122° 19.316
10S E 559887 N 4157106
St. Matthew is the same saint as San Mateo, the namesake of this city, and the name of the school where this statue is displayed
Waymark Code: WM61PD
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/17/2009
Views: 5
This statue of St. Matthew is at the front entrance to St. Michael's Catholic School. He is portrayed carrying a book (the gospels) not because it's a school, but because he was one of the Evangelists who preached the gospel after the death of Jesus.
From the New Advent Catholic encyclopedia:
"St. Matthew
Apostle and evangelist.
Matthew, the son of Alpheus (Mark 2:14) was a Galilean, although Eusebius informs us that he was a Syrian. As tax-gatherer at Capharnaum, he collected custom duties for Herod Antipas, and, although a Jew, was despised by the Pharisees, who hated all publicans. When summoned by Jesus, Matthew arose and followed Him and tendered Him a feast in his house, where tax-gatherers and sinners sat at table with Christ and His disciples. This drew forth a protest from the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked in these consoling words: "I came not to call the just, but sinners".
No further allusion is made to Matthew in the Gospels, except in the list of the Apostles. As a disciple and an Apostle he thenceforth followed Christ, accompanying Him up to the time of His Passion and, in Galilee, was one of the witnesses of His Resurrection. He was also amongst the Apostles who were present at the Ascension, and afterwards withdrew to an upper chamber, in Jerusalem, praying in union with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with his brethren (Acts 1:10 and 1:14).
Of Matthew's subsequent career we have only inaccurate or legendary data. St. Irenæus tells us that Matthew preached the Gospel among the Hebrews, St. Clement of Alexandria claiming that he did this for fifteen years, and Eusebius maintains that, before going into other countries, he gave them his Gospel in the mother tongue. Ancient writers are not as one as to the countries evangelized by Matthew, but almost all mention Ethiopia to the south of the Caspian Sea (not Ethiopia in Africa), and some Persia and the kingdom of the Parthians, Macedonia, and Syria."
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