Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Yesterday, the church observed the feast of Matthew, the tax collector that Jesus called to be one of his followers. Matthew's name means "Gift of the Lord". Since the earliest years of the church, he has been credited as the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we are gifts that God has given to one another. We grumble about each other, we criticize each other, we treat others with unnecessary disrespect. Yet, we need to remember that like Matthew, each one of us is a gift of the Lord. What does that mean for how we interact with each other? It means that degrading one another, insulting one another has no place in how we treat each other. Even when we disagree, even when there is need to correct one another, it is to be done in love, respecting the gift God has created. Gifts are special and God has gifted us to one another. Each person is a gift, not to be taken forgranted.