Apostle (First Century)
His life
+ The Acts of the Apostles tell us that Matthias was a “witness of the Lord’s ministry and Resurrection”
+ Matthias was chosen to take the place of Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26) and he was present on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles.
+ According to some ancient traditions, Matthias preached the Gospel in Ethiopia. Other traditions say that he ministered in the region of Cappadocia (in modern-day Turkey).
+ Saint Matthias is honored as a martyr and his relics are enshrined in the Abbey of St. Matthias in Trier, Germany.
For prayer and reflection
“In the Acts of the Apostles the Twelve manifest the Lord’s way. They are accredited witnesses to Christ’s work of salvation and do not show the world their presumed perfection but rather, through the grace of unity, enable the emergence of an Other who now lives in a new manner in the midst of his people. And who is this? It is the Lord Jesus. The Apostles choose to live under the lordship of the Risen One in unity among the brethren, which becomes the only possible context of authentic self-giving..”—Pope Francis
Spiritual bonus
Today the Church also remembers Saint Mary Mazzarello, a collaborator of Saint John Bosco and foundress of the Salesian Sisters (officially the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians). Saint Mary Mazzarello died in 1881 and was canonized in 1951. For information about the Salesian Sisters, click the following links: Eastern Province and Western Province.
Prayer
O God, who assigned Saint Matthias
a place in the college of Apostles,
grant us, through his intercession,
that, rejoicing at how your love has been allotted to us,
we may merit to be numbered among the elect.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...