St. Matthew was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus to spread the message of the Gospel throughout the world. As a former tax collector who became an apostle and evangelist, he is known as the patron saint of accountants, bankers, and tax collectors. His feast day is celebrated on September 21st. The prayers to St. Matthew reflect themes of conversion, divine mercy, and detachment from worldly wealth. His experience of being called by Christ from his role as a tax collector to become an apostle makes him a powerful intercessor for those seeking spiritual transformation and guidance in financial matters.
Historical Context
Saint: Matthew the Apostle
Feast Day: September 21
Patronage: Accountants, bankers, tax collectors
Era: 1st Century AD
St. Matthew Prayer 1
O Glorious St. Matthew,
In your Gospel you portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah
who fulfilled the Prophets of the Old Covenant
and as the Lawgiver who founded a Church of the New Covenant.
Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living in His Church
and to follow His teaching in our lives on Earth
so that we may live forever with Him in heaven.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 2
O ALMIGHTY God,
Who by thy blessed Son didst call Matthew
from the receipt of custom to be an Apostle and Evangelist:
Grant us grace to forsake all covetous desires
and inordinate love of riches,
and to follow the same thy Son Jesus Christ,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 3
Saint Matthew,
God of Mercy
You chose a tax collector,
to share the dignity of the apostles.
By his example and prayers
help us follow Christ
and remain faithful in Your service.
We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 4
Dear Jesus,
Even though I have committed such grave offenses against you and God,
you still loved me enough to give your life for me
so I could be free in Heaven.
With all my heart, please forgive me
for ever having offended you.
I know it was my sins that condemned you to die.
I love you more than I love myself,
and can do nothing without you.
All that I am and all that I hope to be
is solely because of your grace and mercy and nothing else.
Saint Matthew, as a former tax-collector,
you were considered one of the worst sinners,
but Jesus called you anyway to be one of his apostles.
Help me to truly mourn for all the sins I have committed
and please intercede with Jesus in asking him to grant my desperate request,
(STATE REQUEST).
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 5
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the mercy you have shown me time and time again,
even when my actions have not merited it.
Thank you for comforting me in times of sickness and trouble.
Help me to look at everyone I come across with a tender heart,
truly feeling in my heart the pain and suffering of others.
Help me to always make the effort to ease the pain and suffering of others,
with an ever ready, always affectionate, and joyful heart.
Saint Matthew, as an apostle,
you were an extension of Jesus in the world.
You got to see his kindness and mercy displayed firsthand
and then were asked to emulate it.
Help me to emulate Jesus by demonstrating true kindness and mercy to others,
just as Jesus did,
and please intercede with Jesus in asking him to grant my desperate request.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 6
Dear Jesus,
Please show me how to persevere in this struggle
for things which are holy and honorable,
because I fall down and grow weak so often.
Help me to be faithful to you in all things,
so that your will may be done in and through my life.
Help me to be bold in my steady struggle for faith
and unwavering in my commitment to all Godly things.
Saint Matthew, please guide me to be courageous like you
in standing on the side of God’s truth,
even in the face of being persecuted for righteousness,
and please intercede with Jesus in asking him to grant my desperate request.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 7
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer:
St. Matthew Prayer 8
Dear Jesus,
I have sinned against God and you.
I have gone against you and hurt you
with each and every sin I have committed.
I am not worthy of your love,
but you are my only hope.
Please save me, and please forgive me,
for I am lost without you.
Saint Matthew, as you were one of the lucky twelve
who walked the Earth with Jesus by your side,
you were continually made aware of your own nothingness
before his greatness and saw many evidences of God’s immense grace.
Help me to be so poor in spirit
that I acknowledge my own nothingness before God
on a moment-by-moment basis,
and please intercede with Jesus in asking him to grant my desperate request.
Amen.
