Trần Kim Thục chuyển
When we think of Jesus traveling from place to place, we picture him surrounded by his twelve apostles. But we don’t often think about all the other people who also followed him. In today’s first reading, we learn that there were about 120 men and women with Peter when he stood up to speak on Pentecost (Acts 1:15). We can assume that these people, and maybe others, had also accompanied Jesus at some point. In fact, we learn from Peter that Matthias had been with them “the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us” (1:21).
Matthias was chosen to replace Judas, but what about the others? We will never know all their names, but we do know that they found Jesus so compelling that they left their homes, families, and jobs to be with him. It’s possible they never knew where they would be going next or where their next meal would come from. After Jesus’ resurrection, they were probably among those who formed the first Christian community, sharing all they had with one another (Acts 2:42-47).
These anonymous believers were the first in a long line of hidden saints. Imagine the millions of people over the centuries whose names we will never know who have followed in their footsteps. Think especially of those who have given up homes, families, and careers to follow the Lord. They labored in God’s vineyard and brought other people to faith; some even sacrificed their lives for Jesus.
As we honor St. Matthias today, let’s honor these men and women as well. Matthias would not have been an apostle if the lot hadn’t fallen to him (Acts 1:26). But like these others, he would have still been a saint—someone who experienced the love of God, became his disciple, and did whatever God called him to do.
Let’s also honor the “saints” among us. Let’s honor the people we know who wholeheartedly offer themselves in service to the Lord. May their witness inspire us to do the same.
“St. Matthias, pray for me to have the grace and courage to follow Jesus with all my heart.”
St. Matthias – Apostle
How does one qualify to be an apostle?
How does one qualify to be an apostle?
The first act of the apostles after the Ascension of Jesus was to find a replacement for Judas. With all the questions, doubts, and dangers facing them, they chose to focus their attention on finding a twelfth apostle. Why was this important? Twelve was a very important number to the Chosen People: twelve was the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. If the new Israel was to come from the disciples of Jesus, a twelfth apostle was needed.
But Jesus had chosen the original twelve. How could they know whom he would choose?
One hundred and twenty people were gathered for prayer and reflection in the upper room, when Peter stood up to propose the way to make the choice.
Peter had one criterion, that, like Andrew, James, John, and himself, the new apostle be someone who had been a disciple from the very beginning, from his baptism by John until the Ascension. The reason for this was simple, the new apostle would must become a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. He must have followed Jesus before anyone knew him, stayed with him when he made enemies, and believed in him when he spoke of the cross and of eating his body — teachings that had made others melt away.
Two men fit this description — Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas. They knew that both these men had been with them and with Jesus through his whole ministry. But which one had the heart to become a witness to his resurrection. The apostles knew that only the Lord could know what was in the heart of each. They cast lots in order to discover God’s will and Matthias was chosen. He was the twelfth apostle and the group was whole again as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
That’s the first we hear of Matthias in Scripture, and the last. Legends like the Acts of Andrew and Matthias testify to Matthias’ enthusiastic embrace of all that being an apostle meant including evangelization, persecution, and death in the service of the Lord.
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