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| ST MATTHIAS: THE "TWELFTH" APOSTLE. Image from catholic.org |
St Matthias, we all know, was not among the original Apostles. He was chosen to fill in the vacated slot of Judas Iscariot. His ascent to be among the remaining Eleven Apostles took place after the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and before the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles and the disciples. His elevation into the body of the Apostles is recorded in Acts 1: 15-26.
This event could be considered as the very first act of the Church, that is, the community of the believers and followers of the Lord [see Acts 1: 13-14]. In selecting St Matthias, St Peter quoted Psalm 69:26 [Let his encampment become desolate and may no one dwell in it] and Psalm 109:8 [May another take his office]. He also laid down what could be the requirements to become a candidate to take the place of Judas among the Twelve:
"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 as a witness to his resurrection." - Acts 1: 21-22
More importantly, they did not decide by themselves as to who should be the one to replace Judas between the two who have been considered worthy of being chosen: Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. They asked the Lord in prayer as to who between the two He chooses to be numbered among the Apostles. They drew lots after praying and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered among the Twelve.
What could have made St Matthias the chosen one to be numbered among the Apostles? The Catholic Online quotes Clement of Alexandria regarding his observation of the Apostle,
"Matthias, like all the other apostles, was not chosen by Jesus for what he already was, but for what Jesus foresaw he would become. He was elected not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy." [Stromateis vi. 13]
Through the election of St Matthias, the Lord shows us that He has truly given authority to His Church to do everything necessary for her to operate as a corporate body tasked to fulfill her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth, of making disciples of all nations, of baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and of believing in His perpetual presence [see Matthew 28: 18-20].
This event also teaches us that when the Lord calls, it is based on what He wants one to become and not on what he already is. That is why He had made as requirements for being His disciple, first, to deny one's self, and second, to carry one's cross, and then that's when one could follow Him. For unless one denies one's self and carries one's cross, one could not truly and fully follow the Lord: there would be constant resistance for the self would permanently seek it's own satisfaction, comfort and convenience.
St Matthias embraced everything about being an Apostle: to bear witness to the Lord, to proclaim the Gospel and to die for the Lord. We may not have the exact record of what happened to him but one thing is certain: he did not waste the ministry entrusted to him by the Lord.
Prayer [from the Catholic Online]:
Saint Matthias, pray that we may become worthy witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus in the way we live the eternal life we have right now.
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