St. Matthias was one of our Lord's disciples since His Baptism in the Jordan. After the Ascension of our Lord, the disciples felt the need to fill the void left by Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus and tragically ended his own life. Through divine guidance, a new Apostle was selected among the faithful, joining the ranks of the Twelve. The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles(1:23-26) details this selection. "And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And praying, they said: You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which of these two you have chosen, to take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas has by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place. And they gave them lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."
He was the twelfth apostle, and the group was whole again as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. As per the Church tradition, Apostle Matthias spread Christianity in Judaea, Cappadocia (located in Turkey), and lastly, in Aethiopa (Georgia), where he was crucified. Clement of Alexandria says that, like all the other apostles, Matthias 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. St Matthias is a patron of tailors, carpenters, and reformed alcoholics and is invoked against smallpox.
St Matthias, pray that we may be filled with wisdom and zeal to fulfill the unique mission entrusted to each one of us.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
No comments:
Post a Comment