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Acts: 1:15, 17, 20-26
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 Acts of the Apostles.
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Our first reading describes what might be the first complete gathering of the Christian community after the resurrection of Christ. The days of the Apostles hiding fearfully in Jerusalem are over.
The Risen Lord has appeared to them, breathed on them, bestowed on them his Holy Spirit, offered his divine peace, and sent them out on mission to, “make disciples of all nations.”
But the first order of business is to replace Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal and death left a gaping hole in the early Church’s leadership. So, the entire Christian community gathers – all 120 of them – in order to replace him.
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Here we find a clear distinction between the community of believers and the apostles. The “believers” are ordinary Christians, while the apostles are those who hold a unique share in Christ’s divine authority to preach, heal, and save.
They must “go out.”
All of them, with the exception of John, will be martyred for their faith, often in distant corners of the known world.
Secondly, in the Book of Acts, we see the apostles appointing “elders” – or bishops – to stay and oversee the management of local churches, a practice that continues to this day.
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Two candidates are brought forth to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle. One will be chosen. (It sounds a bit like the conclave!)
Both Matthias and Joseph have their names written on stones, which are then thrown into a jar. The jar is shaken until one name falls out: Matthias.
Tradition tells us that Matthias preached the Gospel as far as Turkey, until, like his brothers, he was martyred.
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May he intercede for us that we, too, would speak up, finding creative ways to share our faith, even unto death.
Saint Matthias, apostle and martyr, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Every Nation Church New Jersey (2) Martin Young, Bible Cartoons (3) Facebook