Date: May 14, 2020 ()

Bible Text: First Reading: ACTS 1:15-17, 20-26; Gospel: JN 15:9-17 |

Series:

Matthias - chosen to be sent; called to be a saint!

Today we honor St. Matthias, the disciple chosen by the Apostles to take the place of the Apostle Judas who betrayed the Lord. The ordination of Matthias as an apostle is immediately tackled at the beginning of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. I would presume that this is the first case when a particular sacred calling or vocation is willed by the Lord through the instrumentality of the apostles and presbyters who chose Matthias to the office.

Down to these days, the church follows the same principle in instituting her faithful to a particular ministry or office. We trust that whatever the community recommends or the particular council approves, it is already considered as divinely willed. But we also know that before all those privileges and responsibilities were accorded to the candidates, they first needed to pass through some tests, assessments, examinations, and formations. In the case of Matthias, the fundamental requisite was one’s personal experiences with the Lord, being an eye-witness to Him, and being around his circle during his public ministry. Generally, we notice that the most important consideration is one’s intimate relationship with the Lord. We can never serve the Master if we are strangers to Him.

We have 90 candidates for confirmation this year undergoing the Program called the Matthias Project. What the students basically go through is discovering their identity, their self-worth, their purpose, their virtues, the values of the kingdom, and their personal experience of God’s care and love through their family and friends.

We are made worthy of the calling of Jesus by our ever-deepening discovery and conviction that we are loved by Him and that we are willing to respond to His love. If so then, how do we cultivate our intimacy with the Lord? First prayer; and equally important is to be a disciple, to follow closely what the Lord commands - to remain in His love. If we remain in His love, we are entirely one with Him and we will share in the complete joy of Jesus. We will no longer be slaves of Him but friends.

St. Matthias - chosen to be sent; called to be a saint! So are we!