Twelfth Apostle

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Sunday, 12 May 2024 : Seventh Sunday of Easter, World Social Communications Sunday (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 1 : 15-17, 20a, 20c-26

It was during this time that Peter stood up in the midst of the community – about one hundred and twenty in all – and he said, “Brothers, it was necessary that the Scriptures referring to Judas be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit had spoken through David about the one who would lead the crowd coming to arrest Jesus. He was one of our number and had been called to share our common ministry.”

“In the Book of Psalms it is written : ‘May another take his office.’ Therefore, we must choose someone from among those who were with us during all the time that the Lord Jesus moved about with us, beginning with John’s baptism until the day when Jesus was taken away from us. One of these has to become, with us, a witness to His resurrection.”

Then they proposed two : Joseph, called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. They prayed : “You know, Lord, what is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two You have chosen to replace Judas in this Apostolic ministry which he deserted to go to the place he deserved.”

Then they drew lots between the two and the choice fell on Matthias who was added to the eleven Apostles.

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Saturday, 14 May 2016 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we commemorate together the feast of one of the Twelve Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, namely St. Matthias, who was not counted among the original Twelve Apostles. However, after the betrayal of Judas, who not only betrayed the Lord Jesus to the Pharisees and the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver, but also took his own life in guilt and regret, the Twelve Apostles became incomplete.

And as prophesied in the Scriptures, this had been foretold in the ages past, that someone else more worthy would take up the place vacated by the unworthy betrayer. And that worthy disciple is St. Matthias, who had followed Jesus as the other Eleven Apostles had, and therefore were admitted into their number. The Apostles were the chief and principal disciples of our Lord, through whom the Church were built upon.

And they have been sent by the Lord with the mission, to evangelise the Gospel to the people in the pagan nations who still have yet to hear the Good News of God, and to bring the light of Christ to all of them. And they passed on this mission to the other disciples, who helped them and helped in establishing the Church of God in many places, saving many souls in the process.

It was told that St. Matthias went to many places to preach the Gospel and gained many people for the Lord. Many were baptised and received the Lord as their Master and Saviour. His hard work and efforts contributed to the thriving communities of Christians in several places, including places as far as Ethiopia and Georgia, and helped to establish future works of evangelisation.

It was told that he was martyred in Judea and Jerusalem, where the Jewish authorities had been oppressive against the early Christians. Or another tell mentioned that he met his death in the faraway Ethiopia where he went to evangelise. In the end, he fulfilled the duty and the charge given to him as the Apostle of Jesus Christ, gaining the eternal glory promised to him by our Lord Himself.

St. Matthias was not originally counted among the Twelve Apostles, and yet, because Judas Iscariot was unworthy, he was cast out from their number and damned to perdition, while St. Matthias took the place of glory reserved to the faithful servants of our Lord, and he proved it through his faith and his many works in fulfilling the call of the Lord.

All these are lessons for us, brothers and sisters in Christ, that we all have to always work hard and seek to be righteous in all of our actions. It does not mean that we as Christians are guaranteed salvation, as even though Judas Iscariot was chosen among the members of the Twelve, but he betrayed the Lord and failed to do what he was supposed to do, and as a result what he got was instead eternal damnation.

And it is also a reminder for us that God calls us and He wants to make us worthy. He has chosen us all from among the world, and He has shown us His truth by revealing Himself to us through our priests and bishops, who themselves received the same truth from the Apostles, and who therefore received it from the Lord Jesus Himself. We are part of this great mission to save all mankind, and we too have an important role to play in this.

Shall we all also continue the works of the Apostles in delivering the light of Christ into the world? All of us Christians have to really be Christ-like in our words, deeds and actions, that is by loving one another, showing mercy and compassion, and caring for all those who are unloved. We should heed the examples of Christ and practice these in our own lives.

If others see and witness all the things which we have done, surely they will also follow in our footsteps. Who will believe us and follow us if we ourselves did not do what the Lord had asked us to do? We have to lead by example as the Apostles themselves had once done, as St. Matthias showed us through his hard work, labour, hardships and the tribulations he faced.

May God help us on our path, and may He give us courage to walk in the footsteps of His Apostles and saints, that as St. Matthias had done before us, we too may be important tools and instruments of God’s love and mercy in this world. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 May 2016 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 15 : 9-17

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Remain in My love! You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.”

“I have told you all this, that My own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment : Love one another as I have loved you! There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

“I shall not call you servants anymore, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learnt from My Father.”

“You did not choose Me; it was I who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in My Name, He will give you. This is My command, that you love one another.”

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Saturday, 14 May 2016 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord! Blessed be the Name of the Lord now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands, may the Name of the Lord be praised! The Lord is exalted over the nations, His glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God, Who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

He lifts up the poor from the dust, and the needy from the ash heap. He makes them sit with princes, with rulers of His people.

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Saturday, 14 May 2016 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 1 : 15-17, 20-26

It was during this time that Peter stood up in the midst of the community – about one hundred and twenty in all – and he said, “Brothers, it was necessary that the Scriptures referring to Judas be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit had spoken through David about the one who would lead the crowd coming to arrest Jesus. He was one of our number and had been called to share our common ministry.”

“In the book of Psalms it is written : Let his house become deserted and may no one live in it. But it is also written : May another take his office. Therefore we must choose someone from among those who were with us during all the time that the Lord Jesus moved about with us, beginning with John’s baptism until the day when Jesus was taken away from us. One of these has to become, with us, a witness to His resurrection.”

Then they proposed two : Joseph, called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. They prayed : “You know, Lord, whakt is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two You have chosen to replace Judas in this Apostolic ministry which he deserted to go to the place he deserved.”

Then they drew lots between the two and the choice fell on Matthias who was added to the eleven Apostles.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013 : 7th Week of Easter, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Scripture Reflection)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in less than a week’s time, Easter season will be drawing to a close with the feast of the Pentecost, when we celebrate the birthday of the Church, that is when the Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles and marked the official ‘beginning’ of their ministry in spreading the Good News to all over the world, to all nations and to all mankind.

But Easter does not end here and at that time, my dear brothers and sisters, for indeed, the mission Christ had entrusted to the Apostles still continues today, that is to baptise all the nations in the name of the Holy Trinity and to make disciples of all the nations. That is the charge placed by God upon us, and we should then do something in order to fulfill this mission.

Remember that we too are disciples and apostles of the Lord, apostles and witnesses of Christ in our own times and in our own places, bearing witness for the Lord in our own societies and in our own neighbourhoods, among our own friends, our own family, and our own surroundings. We reflect Christ through our own words, our thoughts, our actions, and how we interact with others, especially whether we have reflected the love of God in all that we do.

Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Matthias, one of the Twelve Apostles. But, St. Matthias was in fact not in the original Twelve, which include Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus in their number. After Judas had betrayed Jesus, he was filled with the sense of regret for having sold his Master for a mere thirty pieces of silver and that he had betrayed innocent blood. Alas, it was way too late for him. He was condemned and his place was taken by another.

Yes, that was because he was unworthy of being one of God’s disciples, and therefore was cast off and replaced with someone who was more worthy of that honour, and St. Matthias was chosen by God to fill up that role. St. Matthias was also one of the longest followers of Jesus but was not included in the Twelve until after the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Yet he is equally as good as any of the remaining Eleven Apostles of the events surrounding the salvific mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That clearly shows that the work of evangelisation and conversion of the world to the cause of Christ is not yet done, and will always continue, that is until the second coming of our Lord into this world. This world is still bathed in darkness, and much of mankind with it, without seeing the light of Christ. We, the disciples of the Lord, who have received the faith from the teachings of the Church and thus the Apostles, therefore have the duty to continue the mission that has been entrusted to us.

St. Matthias carried out his task with fervour and strong love for God, evangelising the faith to the people in the distant regions of Asia and met martyrdom in the region now known as Georgia. He was martyred while in the midst of working in the fields of God, spreading the seeds of faith on the soil of mankind. Many did heed his call and became believers, but there are many too who rejected the faith and also caused St. Matthias’ own martyrdom.

In our world today, there are many who had drifted away from the light of Christ. Many of them were even former believers in Christ, but drifted away due to various reasons, many of which involve the worldly temptations and developments that took them further from the words of God. The loud noises made by the world has shut the Lord’s voice from them, that they can no longer listen to Him in their hearts and minds.

It is therefore up to us, brothers and sisters, to bring the words of the Lord back to them, to show them once again the true path to salvation that Christ had revealed to all of us. Let us follow in the example of St. Matthias and the Apostles in evangelisation, in order to bring the Good News of the Lord to the ends of the earth, and to all mankind, that they all may live. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013 : 7th Week of Easter, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

John 15 : 9-17

As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Remain in My love! You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

I have told you all this, that My own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment : Love one another as I have loved you! There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are My friends, if you do what I command you.

I shall not call you servants anymore, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learnt from My Father.

You did not choose Me; it was I who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in My Name, He will give you. This is My command, that you love one another.

by

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 : 7th Week of Easter, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Psalm)

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord! Blessed be the Name of the lord, now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands, may the Name of the Lord be praised! The Lord is exalted over the nations, His glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

He lifts up the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap. He makes them sit with princes, with rulers of His people.

by

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 : 7th Week of Easter, Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (First Reading)

Acts 1 : 15-17, 20-26

It was during this time that Peter stood up in the midst of the community – about one hundred and twenty in all – and he said, “Brothers, it was necessary that the Scriptures referring to Judas be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit had spoken through David about the one who would lead the crowd coming to arrest Jesus. He was one of our number and had been called to share our common ministry.

In the book of Psalms it is written : ‘Let his house become deserted and may no one live in it.’ But it is also written: ‘May another take his office.’ Therefore, we must choose someone from among those who were with us during all the time that the Lord Jesus moved about with us, beginning with John’s baptism until the day when Jesus was taken away from us. One of these has to become, with us, a witness to His resurrection.

Then they proposed two : Joseph, called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. They prayed : “You know, Lord, what is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two You have chosen to replace Judas in this apostolic ministry which he deserted to go to the place he deserved.”

Then they drew lots between the two and the choice fell on Matthias who was added to the eleven apostles.