May 14 - St Matthias

+ Today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthias, the replacement of Judas Iscariot in the Apostolic number of 12 members. To qualify for this position one who had “been with Jesus all along, through his entire ministry,” and who was also a “witness to the resurrection” were the only ones to fit the bill. Matthias was one such person, (he is thought to have been one of the seventy-two that Jesus sent out to towns and villages ahead of him), the other choice here being Barsabas (Justus). Then, when these semi-finalists were selected, it is was simply by casting lots that Matthias was ultimately chosen – after prayer to the Holy Spirit for concurrence and guidance.

Thus, this sort of decision making at any fork in any road that life gives us – if done in this fashion – would seem to be recommended by the Church: in fact, this is how many of the saints in Church history decided to go east or west, to go into unchartered waters or friendly ones – and eventually ended up exactly where they were meant to be. If one trusts in God alone it does not matter where “chance” may take us – for there really is no chance, there is only God’s loving Providence.

What matters is that the Apostle, the pastor, the teacher, the baptized layman know they have been loved intensely by God – that they are part of a living organism called the Mystical Body of Christ – and that the only way to keep the love is to give it away. It matters then not how or where or when God directs their steps for they will always end up in the right place at the right time: as we are here right now to be spiritually nourished and fed for our sacred duties this day!

We have been chosen from the chaotic and godless minions of the world, to go forth and bear much spiritual fruit that will last forever – because we We have the very Lord of Hosts with us, and in us, and working through us – and in our intensely stressful circumstance in dealing with the presence of a relentlessly deadly microorganism – the coronavirus – this means doing a great deal that goes against our nature – by separating ourselves from one another, wearing masks and staying out of crowd-based situations – but taking the simultaneous opportunity to “go inside ourselves” into our “souls” where all is well, where there is no sickness and no death, and where GOD IS with us – and take our strength and our resilience and our motivations from there. It’s actually a glorious opportunity to BE the divine/human composite that we each are – all of us!

Amen! Alleluia!