When you think of some popular names that parents give to their boys you might think of Andrew, Peter, Thomas, Phillip, James, and John. Oddly enough, Matthias does not seem to be a popular name. Well, luckily, the name will get some spotlight because this month’s saint is Matthias the Apostle. Unfortunately, Matthias is not well known among the Apostles because he is only mentioned once in the Bible (Acts of the Apostles 1:21-26) and that is really all we know about him. It also does not help that his name sounds so similar to Matthew in Hebrew which makes documenting his life even more difficult and yet, it may be that this was preferable for Matthias who loved Christ in obscurity.
Matthias was born in first-century Judea and is traditionally thought to be one of the seventy disciples that followed Jesus throughout His ministry. According to the Acts of the Apostles, after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, Peter decided that someone would need to replace Judas. So, Peter gathered the 120 disciples and, together, they prayed and discerned on how to proceed. Eventually they came up with two criteria: the man would have to have been a follower of Jesus since the baptism at the Jordan river and be present when Jesus ascended. There were only two men who fit the criteria, so the disciples made their decision by asking the Holy Spirit to guide them and they chose Matthias.
After this account, what is known about Matthias is based on legend and tradition. According to Greek tradition, he started to preach in Judea and traveled all around present-day Turkey focusing especially on the coasts and ports in the Caspian Sea. Several texts even mention that at some point he was in modern-day Eastern Europe where he encountered and ministered to barbarians and cannibals. Matthias was said to have focused on the importance of self-control when he preached. He preached that true peace and joy come when we put our spiritual desires before our physical desires. Of course, this is much easier said than done so he urged his listeners to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome temptation and sin. In the tradition of the Catholic Church, Matthias was believed to have been martyred just like the other Apostles (except John).
It may not seem like much, but Matthias’ life has some lessons which could help us in our faith journey:
Faithfulness. The criteria set by Peter and disciples was deliberate because they knew they could rely on someone who: followed Jesus before anyone really knew Him, supported Jesus when He made enemies, and stayed with Him when Jesus taught about the Eucharist. As Catholics, there will be times when we question Church teaching and struggle with accepting some doctrines. I am sure that many of the disciples were very confused when Jesus taught about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The Gospels even tell us that it was this teaching drove many of the disciples to leave Jesus. Yet, Peter responds in John 6:68 by saying “to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life?” Matthias likely felt the same way because he still followed Jesus until the Ascension. Notice that faithfulness in this case includes struggling with doubt, but ultimately the Apostles and disciples choose to stay because of their love for the person of Jesus Christ. It was because they had developed a strong relationship with Him that it was easier for them to choose to believe even if they were skeptical at first.
Discern with your community. It would have been easy for Peter to just decide or even discern on his own who is to be Judas’ replacement. Instead, he gathers, not just the Apostles, but the disciples as well. Proverbs 15:22 tells us that there is wisdom when we reflect and come to a decision in a group. If you are about to decide on something that is very important, don’t be afraid to ask your prayer group or faith community to help discern with you. Your community is here to support and help you on your journey to sainthood!
God is enough. Ironically, the best way to practice self-control is to not think about ourselves as much. As mentioned in previous saint of the month blogs, fasting and prayer are great practices to help with this. When St. Matthias talks about true peace and joy, he refers to the contentment of simply being with God. When we are preoccupied with our physical desires, our mind is often too busy thinking about what to do next and as a result we stress ourselves out. When God becomes the center of our focus, our perspective on life becomes simpler and more joyful.
Since he is relatively unknown, Matthias is usually referred to as Judas’ replacement. Sure, it would be cooler if he was known as the Rock or one of the sons of Thunder, but if we reflect a bit on his life, we know he probably would not have cared what he was known for. Instead, he lived and gave up his life for Christ.
So if you feel that you need the strength to persevere, here is a good prayer to look to:
O Glorious St. Matthias, in God's design it fell upon you to take the place of the unfortunate Judas who betrayed his Master. You were selected by the twofold sign of the uprightness of your life and the call of the Holy Spirit. Obtain for us the grace to practice the same uprightness of life and to be called by that same Spirit to wholehearted service of the Church. Then after a life of zeal and good works let us be ushered into your company in heaven to sing forever the praises of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen
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