Homily: Feast of St. Matthias

Feast of St. Matthias (Acts 1:15ff) “Jesus Had a Deep Bench”

St. Matthias was the apostle that replaced Judas. It was very important to Jesus to have twelve apostles. For him, it seems, this number represented the twelve tribes of Israel. He was restoring the Jewish faith. Each Apostle represented a new leader for each of the twelve tribes. This was highly symbolic. Jesus felt it was an important sign to his intentions.

What were the qualifications to be considered an apostle. At first it was thought that an apostle should have known Jesus personally. Matthais knew Jesus well. He had been at Jesus’ baptism, so he had been with Jesus throughout his active ministry.

Matthais was not chosen to be one of the twelve. We are left to wonder if Matthias felt he had been passed over. We probably have all had that experience. People are chosen for consultation at our place of work or in an organization we belong to, and we are left out. For most of us there is a sense of frustration. Maybe we are asked later, and we might be tempted to decline because our feelings have been hurt.

It takes a mature person to overlook a slight and plunge in. If we can do this then an important task will get done. Maybe we will become important players even though we are disregarded at first.

Matthias did become very important. He became a missionary. He also was martyred for the faith. The exact details about this are debated but there is little doubt that he chose to give everything, even his very life in service of the Gospel. It is for that reason that we remember Matthais to this day.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Has my opinion ever been disregarded? How did that feel?

2.   Have I ever been left out of leadership when I wanted to serve? What did I do?

 Dear Parishioners,

             We had a beautiful First Communion on Sunday. Twenty-three more children receive the Eucharist for the first time. Having two Sundays for First Communion works well. There is room for everyone to attend. Families can also choose a time when most relatives can be present.

            This causes extra work for our staff. When you see our staff members please thank them for their generous service.

            May Our Lady of Peace Pray for an end to violence in our world,

            Fr. Mark

P.S. Fr. Matthew had a birthday yesterday. Please wish him well.