Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
Lectionary: 564
Lectionary: 564
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.
Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.
Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (8) The
Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE JN 15:16
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Meditation: Receive the fullness of God's love
and joy
How can love lead to immeasurable joy? Jesus tells his
disciples that he is united with his Father in heaven in a perfect bond of
mutual love, honor, and joy in one another. Their love is inseparable and
unbreakable. That is why the Son delights in obeying the eternal Father who
loves him with infinite love. The Father and Son invite all to join in their
eternal bond of love and friendship. How can we enter into that unbreakable
bond of love and friendship? Jesus, the Word of God who became flesh for
us, shows us the way - keep my word, keep my commandments. If you abide in my
word you will know my love and that love will fill you with immense joy - a joy
which is unsurpassing, exalted, and unfading (2 Peter 1:3,8).
A new command of love
Jesus' commands are not hard or burdensome for those who know his love and mercy. The Lord fills us with his Spirit and transforms our hearts to be like his heart. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment - a new way of love and fruitful service which is empowered by his Holy Spirit. We are called to love and serve others just as Jesus has loved us with heartfelt compassion, kindness, and mercy. Jesus proved his love for us by laying down his life for us, even to death on the cross. Our love for God is a response to his exceeding love for us through the gift of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus' commands are not hard or burdensome for those who know his love and mercy. The Lord fills us with his Spirit and transforms our hearts to be like his heart. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment - a new way of love and fruitful service which is empowered by his Holy Spirit. We are called to love and serve others just as Jesus has loved us with heartfelt compassion, kindness, and mercy. Jesus proved his love for us by laying down his life for us, even to death on the cross. Our love for God is a response to his exceeding love for us through the gift of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we prove our love for God and grow in the
knowledge and depth of his unfathomable love? The same way Jesus did - by
embracing the way of the cross each and every day. What is the cross in
my life? When my will crosses with God's will,
then his will must be done. If we accept God's way of love,
truth, and wisdom, then we will discover the joy and freedom of loving,
serving, and laying down our lives for others, just as Jesus freely laid down
his life for each and every one of us. Do you know the joy of being united with
the Lord Jesus in a bond of unbreakable love and peace?
A Friend of God
One of the special marks of favor shown in the Scriptures is to be called the friend of God. God called Abraham his friend (Isaiah 41:8), and God spoke with Moses as a "man speaks with his friend" (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the Lord and Master, calls the disciples his friends rather than his servants (John 15:15). What does it mean to be a friend of God? Friendship certainly entails a relationship of love which goes beyond mere duty or loyalty. Scripture tells us that "a friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
One of the special marks of favor shown in the Scriptures is to be called the friend of God. God called Abraham his friend (Isaiah 41:8), and God spoke with Moses as a "man speaks with his friend" (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the Lord and Master, calls the disciples his friends rather than his servants (John 15:15). What does it mean to be a friend of God? Friendship certainly entails a relationship of love which goes beyond mere duty or loyalty. Scripture tells us that "a friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
The distinctive feature of Jesus' relationship with
his disciples was his personal and unconditional love and care for them. He
loved his own to the very end (John 13:1). He loved his disciples selflessly
and generously because his love was wholly directed to their good. His love was
costly and sacrificial - he gave not only the best he had, but all that he had.
He gave his very own life in order to bring the abundant everlasting life of
the eternal Father to those who believed in him.
The fire of Christ's love purifies and transforms
The love of Jesus Christ compels us to give our best not only to God but to our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God. God's love purifies and transforms us into the likeness of Christ. The Lord Jesus promises that those who abide in his love will bear much fruit for the kingdom of God - fruit that will last for eternity as well (John 15:16). If you seek to unite your heart with the heart of Jesus, your life will bear abundant fruit - the fruit which comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us - the fruit of love, joy, peace, goodness, and friendship which lasts forever (Galatians 5:22-23).
The love of Jesus Christ compels us to give our best not only to God but to our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God. God's love purifies and transforms us into the likeness of Christ. The Lord Jesus promises that those who abide in his love will bear much fruit for the kingdom of God - fruit that will last for eternity as well (John 15:16). If you seek to unite your heart with the heart of Jesus, your life will bear abundant fruit - the fruit which comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us - the fruit of love, joy, peace, goodness, and friendship which lasts forever (Galatians 5:22-23).
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and
make me fruitful in your love, mercy, kindness, and compassion. May there be
nothing in my life which keeps me from your love and joy."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Love your enemy and make a friend, by
Gregory the Great, 540-604 A.D.
"The unique, the highest proof of love is this,
to love the person who is against us. This is why Truth himself bore the
suffering of the cross and yet bestowed his love on his persecutors, saying,
'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34).
Why should we wonder that his living disciples loved their enemies, when their
dying master loved his? He expressed the depth of his love when he said, 'No
one has greater love that this, than that he lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13).'
The Lord had come to die even for his enemies, and yet he said he would lay
down his life for his friends to show us that when we are able to win over our
enemies by loving them, even our persecutors are our friends." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 27)
FEAST OF
MATTHIAS, APOSTLE
Saturday, May 14, John 15:9-17
(Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Psalm 113)
Saturday, May 14, John 15:9-17
(Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Psalm 113)
KEY VERSE: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love" (v.9).
TO KNOW: Everything that Jesus said and did was in obedience to his Father's word. This same bond should exist between Jesus and his followers. John used two Greek words to define the meaning of the love that Jesus had for them. In the first instance, the word agape expressed the supernatural love of the Father and the Son. In the second occurrence, the word phileowas used, which referred to human affection and friendship. Jesus' disciples were his friends because he had revealed to them everything he heard from the Father. Servants did not have privileged information of what their master did. Jesus chose his friends to be the instruments of God's revelation to the world. Their task would be fruitful if they obeyed Jesus' command to love.
TO LOVE: Have I shown sacrificial love to my friends?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help your Church to hand on the faith that we have received, just as the apostles did in their time.
FEAST OF MATTHIAS, APOSTLE
In the Upper Room in Jerusalem the apostles gathered to pray. They cast lots to choose the one who would replace Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed the Lord. Matthias was chosen (Acts 1:24-26). As one of the Twelve he would bear witness to the Risen Christ. Tradition says that Matthias preached the Gospel for more than 30 years in Judea, Cappadocia, Egypt and Ethiopia. He is remembered for preaching the need for mortification of the flesh with regard to all its sensual desires. A martyr, Matthias was stoned to death at Colchis in 80 AD. Some relics are in the church of Triers, and others are in St. Mary Major in Rome.
VIGIL OF PENTECOST
Saturday, May 14, JOHN 7:37-39
(Genesis 11:1-9 or Exodus 19:3-8,16-20 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 or Joel 3:1-5; Psalm 104; Romans 8:22-27)
Saturday, May 14, JOHN 7:37-39
(Genesis 11:1-9 or Exodus 19:3-8,16-20 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 or Joel 3:1-5; Psalm 104; Romans 8:22-27)
KEY VERSE: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me" (v.37).
TO KNOW: The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Hebrew, Sukkot) was a commemoration of the exodus and a thanksgiving for the harvest. Pilgrims lived in branch huts (booths) as a reminder of their wilderness journey, and they rededicated themselves to the covenant. On the first night of the week-long feast, the temple area was lit with torches. On the last day of the festival, water from the pool of Siloam was poured out before the altar of sacrifice in thanksgiving for the rains that made the harvest fruitful. Jesus was the new temple of God, the light of the world (Jn.8:12), and the source of the living water of the Spirit. The Spirit would be poured out at Pentecost, illuminating the hearts of believers.
TO LOVE: What evidence do I give that the Spirit is alive in my life?
TO SERVE: Come Holy Spirit, fill my arid heart with your life-giving water.
Saturday 14 May 2016
Sat 14th. St Matthias.
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26. The Lord will give him a seat
with the leaders of his people—Ps 112(113):1-8. John 15:9-17.
'Love one another as I have loved you.'
After Jesus’ Ascension, one of the first Acts of the
Apostles is to choose a replacement for Judas. Like good administrators, they
adopt selection criteria and arrive at a short list. But then they leave the
final decision to the Spirit by drawing lots.
The psalm today reminds us of God’s love for each of
his children. In God’s Kingdom, there are no distinctions of wealth and power:
all are one. Let us carry this song of praise to God with us this day ‘from the
rising of the sun to its setting’.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts his disciples, and us
too, to love one another. How far should we go with this love? Jesus commands
his disciples to love one another as he has loved them. He indicates the depth
of his love for them, with words now and with actions later on the cross.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Guide Me, Lord
|
Lord, I invite your Spirit to guide me into your way, into your
love. I will try to follow you all the days of my life. Amen.
Saturday,
May 14, 2016
St. Matthias
St. Matthias
According
to Acts 1:15-26, during the days after the Ascension, Peter stood up in the
midst of the brothers (about 120 of Jesus’ followers). Now that Judas had
betrayed his ministry, it was necessary, Peter said, to fulfill the scriptural
recommendation that another should take his office. “Therefore, it is
necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus
came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which
he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection” (Acts
1:21-22).
They
nominated two men: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. They prayed and drew lots.
The choice fell upon Matthias, who was added to the Eleven.
Matthias
is not mentioned by name anywhere else in the New Testament.
Comment:
What was the holiness of Matthias? Obviously he was suited for apostleship by the experience of being with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension. He must also have been suited personally, or he would not have been nominated for so great a responsibility. Must we not remind ourselves that the fundamental holiness of Matthias was his receiving gladly the relationship with the Father offered him by Jesus and completed by the Holy Spirit? If the apostles are the foundations of our faith by their witness, they must also be reminders, if only implicitly, that holiness is entirely a matter of God’s giving, and it is offered to all, in the everyday circumstances of life. We receive, and even for this God supplies the power of freedom.
What was the holiness of Matthias? Obviously he was suited for apostleship by the experience of being with Jesus from his baptism to his ascension. He must also have been suited personally, or he would not have been nominated for so great a responsibility. Must we not remind ourselves that the fundamental holiness of Matthias was his receiving gladly the relationship with the Father offered him by Jesus and completed by the Holy Spirit? If the apostles are the foundations of our faith by their witness, they must also be reminders, if only implicitly, that holiness is entirely a matter of God’s giving, and it is offered to all, in the everyday circumstances of life. We receive, and even for this God supplies the power of freedom.
Quote:
Jesus speaks of the apostles’ function of being judges, that is, rulers. He said, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).
Jesus speaks of the apostles’ function of being judges, that is, rulers. He said, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).
LECTIO DIVINA: ST. MATTHIAS,
APOSTLE - JN 15:9-17
Lectio
Divina:
Saturday,
May 14, 2016
1)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord
God,
your apostle Matthias was a witness
to the life and death of Jesus Christ
and to his glorious resurrection.
May also today your people bear witness
to the life of your Son
by living his life as best as they can,
and radiating the joy
of people who are rising with him
to a new and deeper life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
your apostle Matthias was a witness
to the life and death of Jesus Christ
and to his glorious resurrection.
May also today your people bear witness
to the life of your Son
by living his life as best as they can,
and radiating the joy
of people who are rising with him
to a new and deeper life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
2)
GOSPEL READING - JOHN 15,9-17
Jesus
said to his disciples. I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain
in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I
have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.
This
is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. No one can have
greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.
You
are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you
friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my
Father.
You
did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to
bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you
ask him in my name. My command to you is to love one another.
3)
REFLECTION
•
Today is the Feast of the Apostle Mathias. The Gospel of John 15, 9-17 has
already been meditated in April. Let us take some of the points which were
considered that day.
•
John 15, 9-11: Remain in my love, the source of perfect joy. Jesus
remains in the love of the Father observing the commandments that he received
from him. We remain in the love of Jesus observing the commandments that he has
left for us. And we should observe them in the same measure in which he
observed the commandments of the Father: “If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and
remain in his love. And in this union of love of the Father and of
Jesus is found the source of true joy: “I have told you this so that my own
joy may be in you and your joy be complete”.
•
John 15, 12-13: To love one another as he has loved us. The
commandment of Jesus is only one: “to love one another as he has loved us!” (Jn
15, 12) Jesus exceeds the Old Testament. The ancient criterion was the
following: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Lv 18, 19).
The new criterion is: “Love one another as I have loved you”. It
is the phrase that we sing even today and which says: “There is no greater love
than to give one’s life for one’s brother!”
•
John 15, 14-15: Friends and not servants. You are my friends if you do
what I command you”, that is, the practise of love up to the point of
the total gift of oneself! Immediately Jesus presents a very high ideal for the
life of his disciples. He says: “I shall no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his master’s business. I call you friends
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father!” Jesus
no longer had any secrets for his disciples. He tells us everything that he has
heard from the Father! Behold the wonderful ideal of life in community: to reach
a total transparency, to the point of not having any secrets among us and to
have full trust with one another, to be able to speak about the experience of
God that we have and of life, and thus, be able to mutually enrich one another.
The first Christians succeeded to reach this ideal after many years:“they
had one only heart and one only soul” (Ac 4, 32; 1, 14; 2, 42-46).
•
John 15, 16-17: Jesus has chosen us. We have not chosen Jesus.
He met us, called us and entrusted a mission to us to go and bear fruit, and a
fruit which lasts. We need him, but he also wants to need us and our work in
order to be able to continue to do today, for the people what he did for the
people of Galilee. The last recommendation: This is my commandment: to
love one another!”
4)
FOR PERSONAL CONFRONTATION
• To
love our neighbour as Jesus has loved us. This is the ideal of every Christian.
How do I live it?
• All
that I have heard from the Father I make it known to you. This is the ideal of
the community: to attain total transparency. How do I live this in my
community?
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Praise,
servants of Yahweh,
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113,1-2)
praise the name of Yahweh.
Blessed be the name of Yahweh,
henceforth and for ever. (Ps 113,1-2)
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