The Feast of St Matthias, the Apostle

Acts 1:15-17.20-26, Jn 15:9-17. As we celebrate the Feast of St Matthias, the Church challenges us to always give time for discernment in order to place the final decisions on things in the hands of God. In order to complete the number of the Twelve Apostles, Matthias, one of the earliest followers of Jesus, was chosen. Today's first reading presents us with the criteria for choosing the person to replace Judas Iscariot. To qualify, the person must have been a disciple from the time of the baptism of Jesus at River Jordan till His ascension. Every aspect of the conditions is stated with clarity of the mission of witnessing to the resurrection of the Lord. The person must not be a novice nor a new convert; it is not about their position in the Church or society, instead, the call is to witness the resurrection.

The early Church teaches us that discernment is an act of God in which the human beings cooperate. By selection, human decision brought out two candidates; "Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias", while by prayer and casting of lots, the final choice was placed in the hands of God. If we leave the 'final say' to God, we are sure to get the best result and we would be able to remain in God. In today's Gospel, Jesus emphasises on our need to 'remain' in God, to be in constant connection with God as the source of all that we have and are. Constant connection with God helps us to grow in love and accomplish much. It is only true love that animates our honesty in matters of organising our family, as regards respect for others. The early Christian communities were filled with much love and compassion; everyone cared for each other. Those who had more than enough shared what they had with those who had less or none and everyone were well taken care of. This Christian love present within the early Christian communities represent what the Lord has called us to do with our lives. Unfortunately, many of us are swayed by the temptations of life that we set aside authentic Christian values. Today, we are cautioned to shone greed and all the evil desires that becloud our judgments and actions. Today, we are called to discern carefully and allow God to help us in our decision making.

May the Lord enlighten and guide us through all present trials and keep us away from sin! Amen!! Keep safe and have a glorious day!!!