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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 Word of the Lord.
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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 were over.
The Risen Lord had appeared to them, breathed on them, bestowed the Holy Spirit, offered his divine peace, and sent them out on mission to, “make disciples of all nations.”
The first order of business was to replace Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal and death left a gaping hole in the early Church’s leadership. So, the entire Christian community gathered… all 120 of them.
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Two candidates were proposed, Matthias and Joseph. Both of them were followers of Jesus from the earliest days of his ministry, but neither was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Twelve… until today.
One might imagine the Church had a very spiritual process of election, filled with much prayer and fasting. While that was true, the practical side of replacing Judas came down to casting lots.
Matthias and Joseph each had their name written on a stone, then placed inside a jar. The jar shook until one name fell out: Matthias. With that, he joined the ranks of the Apostles, who were the direct successors of Christ’s authority on earth.
Tradition tells us that Matthias went on to preach the Gospel as far as Turkey, until, like his brothers and his Lord, he was martyred – literally put to death for sharing his faith.
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May Matthias intercede for us that we, too, would speak up, finding creative ways to share the Gospel, even unto death.
Saint Matthias, Apostle and Martyr, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Every Nation Church New Jersey (2) Saint Matthias, Peter Paul Rubens, 1611 (3) LDS Scripture of the Day