ST. MATTHIAS
Apostles, Feast

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; Jn 15:9-17


Daily Gospel

Matthias was elected by the apostles to replace Judas, the traitor, because he had been a disciple of Jesus from the very beginning, from the time when Jesus was baptized by John until the ascension. His qualification was, then, that he could witness to the risen Christ. And so should we.

Lord God,
your apostle Matthias was a witness
to the life and death of Jesus Christ
and to his glorious resurrection.
May also today your people bear witness
to the life of your Son
by living his life as best as they can,
and radiating the joy
of people who are rising with him
to a new and deeper life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or: R. Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or: R. Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or: R. Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or: R. Alleluia.

 

He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or: R. Alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

Commentary

When the apostles number only eleven they choose another who is a witness to the resurrection. They pray and draw lots between two candidates, and Matthias is chosen to replace Judas. He completes the number twelve, though we know nothing else of him. Perhaps it is the process that is most instructive and crucial: It is God who reads the hearts of humans and makes known who is to be a leader. Who and how should our leaders be nominated? We should pray and choose by lot-what a difference there would be in who was chosen and how the Church moved in the world.

Again Jesus keeps telling us that everything is love-as the Father has loved him, he loves us! And if we obey his word/commands we will live in that love, now and forever and we will know the joy of Jesus who obeys. We are called to love unto death, call everyone beloved, treat all as friends because that is the love we have known from God.

- That in the name of the risen Lord the Church may raise up its members and even outsiders to a new and better life, we pray:

- That the risen Lord may give us peace and serenity of heart, that in him we may have someone to live for and to make our lives meaningful, we pray:

- That the risen Lord my give peace to our Christians communities in the certainty that he stays with us and breaks for us the bread of the eucharist, we pray:

Lord our God,
with bread and wine we celebrate
the presence of the Lord Jesus among us.
Let this be an assurance for us
that he wants to raise us up from our lethargy
and to make us vigorous and eager
to be a leaven in our communities
towards a life of service
and a road to deeper justice and love.
Grant us this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, our Father,
Jesus has spoken to us here in our eucharist
his words of good news.
Let these words become in us
deeds of good news,
and may we ourselves become good news and a blessing
to all we encounter
by our spirit of joy and forgiveness,
of service and generosity.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the gospel of today, Jesus told us: "I appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that must endure." Be fruitful in your words and deeds, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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