Thursday
14th May 2020. 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, like the other disciples, was chosen by Jesus but in the end, he
betrayed Jesus and took his own life. In truth, God who made you and chose you without
your permission will not save you without your cooperation. Jesus says we have
been chosen; chosen to keep his commandments, chosen to bear fruits – fruits that
will last. Above all, our fruitfulness is hinged on our love for one another.
The
election of Saint Mathias whose feast we celebrate today teaches us a very
important lesson: no matter how good we think we are, there would always be
someone who can take our place and even do the job better. Avoid pride.
Another
lesson we learn from this election is to always 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). They prayed;
they were not carried away by dirty politics.
The third
lesson we learn from the election of Mathias is the importance of building the
right relationships. Both Mathias and Joseph Justus were friends to 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). The kind of
friends you keep could determine your future.
According
to Wikipedia, St. Matthias planted the faith in 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.” Another tradition maintains that Matthias was
stoned at Jerusalem by the Jews, and then beheaded.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, like St. Mathias may I use my gifts and opportunities in life
according to your good 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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