Tuesday 14th
May 2019. Read Acts 1:15-26, Psalm 113 and
John 15:9-17
_*“You did
not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear
fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in
my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.” (John
15:16-17)*_
Judas Iscariot did not make himself an Apostle.
He did not call himself, he was chosen by Jesus but in the end, he betrayed
Jesus and took his own life instead of asking for forgiveness. No wonder the
saying goes that “God who made you without your permission will not save you
without your cooperation.”
Dear
friends, if like Judas, we fail to bear fruits that will last, if we use our
calling, our gifts and talents, if we make bad choices and fail to repent, God
will have no choice other than to replace us. The election of Mathias teaches
us that no matter how good we may assume we are, there would always be someone
else who can take our place and do better. Avoid pride and arrogance.
Another lesson we learn from this election is that when we have a choice to make, it is
always good for us to consult God in prayer. “And they prayed and said, ‘Lord
who knows the hearts of all men, show us which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from Judas turned aside, to
go to his own place.” (Acts 1:24-25).
The third lesson we learn from the election of Mathias is the importance of friendship. Mathias
and Joseph (surnamed Justus) were friends of the Apostles. They were among
those working in the background with the Apostles. As Peter noted: “So one of
the men who has accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in
and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was
taken up from us -- one of these men must become with us a witness to his
resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22). Select your friends carefully.
According
to Wikipedia, the tradition of the Greeks says that St. Matthias planted the
faith about Cappadocia and on the coasts of the Caspian Sea,
residing chiefly near the port Issus. The Synopsis of Dorotheus contains
this tradition: "Matthias preached the Gospel to barbarians and
meat-eaters in the interior of Ethiopia, where the sea harbour of Hyssus is, at
the mouth of the river Phasis. He died at Sebastopolis, and was buried there,
near the Temple of the Sun." Alternatively, another tradition maintains
that Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem by the Jews, and then beheaded.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, may St. Mathias intercede for me and may I use my gifts and
opportunities in life according to your will and pleasure. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. Mathias, the Apostle. Bible Study: Acts 1:15-26, Psalm 113 and John 15:9-17).
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