What does the Saint have to say to the people of Salerno today?

The patronal feast of Salernoit’s the celebration of all the people of Salerno, it’s true, but we hear it said every year.

The celebrations in honor of Saint Matthewfrom the pontifical mass in the cathedral to the procession, from the scent of spleen that floods the streets of the city to the sounds and colors of the fires, everything presents itself as a hybrid of religious and anthropological traditions. Everything is beautiful, indeed very beautiful, but there is more. To understand it, just ask yourself a question: what does Saint Matthew have to say to the people of Salerno today?

The apostle and evangelist, is a key figure in Christianity, not only for his role in spreading the gospel, but also for his personal history. Matthew, in fact, was a tax collector, a profession that was frowned upon and considered corrupt in the social context of the time. Yet, it was precisely from this marginal and criticized role that Matthew was chosen by Jesusbecoming one of his most loyal followers.
Matthew’s conversion is an example for all: a man immersed in material interests and earthly power abandons everything to follow Christ. His is a journey of redemption, a symbol of hope for all those who feel distant from faith, stuck in lives marked by selfishness or indifference.

In a world marked by a growing distance from traditional religious values, the figure of Matthew presents itself as a choice between emptiness and the fullness of meaning.

To those who feel crushed by a system that favors the accumulation of material goods, competition and selfishness, Matthew teaches that it is possible to change course, he reminds us that there is no human condition that is too distant from the love and call of God.

The evangelist makes his life the letter of invitation, from Cristonot to be afraid of change. In this way, in Matthew’s journey, we find a fundamental lesson: the search for the divine always starts from a personal transformation. This cannot leave anyone indifferent, not even those who believe they do not believe. Far from the stratified ideological positions, we can touch with our hands that it is in the nature of man to be open to Dio and without which, we fall back into the void.

This is what the Patron Saint says to the people of Salerno today, this is what makes a community strong, which finds its strength in sharing, welcoming and recognizing what history has handed down as a heritage for the future.

Don Alfonso D’Alessio

Professor of Canon Law at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of San Bonaventura-Seraphicum (Rome)