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Acts 1:15 – 26
“Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.
Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.”
The Word of the Lord.
***
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Today we encounter the Christian community immediately after the resurrection. Christ has been raised; the Apostles have come out of hiding; and now all of the known Christians are gathering together in prayer.
The reason?
They’re asking the Lord to reveal who shall replace Judas as the twelfth Apostle: either Matthias or Joseph called Barsabbas.
In the end, Matthias is chosen.
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But there’s another detail included in this story, perhaps one of the most uplifting yet overlooked details in the New Testament.
The number of disciples gathered that day was only about 120. This incredibly small, tight-knit community of ordinary men and women has been commissioned to evangelize the world.
If ever anything began from small beginnings, the Church did.
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You may find yourself the only Christian in your home; the only one who prays or goes to Mass; the only Catholic at work; the only spiritual person in your circle of friends.
But like those first Christians, God can use you to spread his kingdom to the ends of the earth.
This is certain: so long as we are faithful to the tasks God has given us, then we will set the world on fire with divine love.
It was true in the beginning and it remains true today.
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May Saint Matthias, and those other 120 largely anonymous Christians, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Orthodox Church in America (2) CatholicIreland.net (3) Claretian Missionaries, Saint Matthias (4) Praying For One Another YouTube