"caught me at a bad time"
"The choice fell to Matthias." —Acts 1:26
After three years with Jesus, the apostles did not have a deep, personal knowledge of Jesus (Jn 14:9). Thus they betrayed, denied, and abandoned Him when He was crucified. Even after they had met the risen Jesus several times, they remained locked in their sinfulness and fear. Then Jesus ascended into heaven. The apostles were in chaos, and the fulfillment of God's plan seemed impossible. At this point, the Lord raised up Matthias to take Judas' place. In Acts 1, Matthias is mentioned for the first and last times in the Bible. He was sent by the Lord to help begin to pick up the pieces of the lives shattered by Judas' suicide, Peter's denials, and others' sins. A few days after Matthias accepted God's call the Holy Spirit of Pentecost came. Matthias is a sign of the Lord changing sadness into joy (Ps 30:12) and chaos into the newborn Church.
Throughout much of the world, especially in the Western world, the Church is in chaos. How many Christians do not know Jesus personally? Where were we when Jesus needed us? We have sinned for so long that we think we are virtuous. There are few signs of hope. But Matthias is a sign of hope for you, your marriage, your family, the Church, and your society. Be another Matthias. Be part of the answer, not part of the problem. Come Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, may hope displace discouragement from my life.
Promise: "It was not you who chose Me, it was I Who chose you to go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must endure." —Jn 15:16
Praise: St. Matthias became part of the solution to the problem of Church leadership.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Holy Spirit our Hope on audio AV 81-3 or video V-81.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, October 17, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 21, 2002