Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
Today’s scripture readings deal with the need for ministry and are good reminders that every Christian is called both to serve and to love. The First Reading, from the opening chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, is about the selection of St. Matthias, whose feast is celebrated today. According to this passage, Matthias was called to replace Judas Iscariot as the Twelfth Apostle even before the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. He was one of only two individuals nominated for this position out of all those present from the earliest days of Jesus’ ministry thru His post-resurrection appearances. Yet, in contrast to the careful vetting and nomination process often used for church leaders today, Matthias was ultimately selected through the casting of lots, a practice that allowed God to make the final determination of Matthias’ fitness for this important position.
Another way of reading the passage, however, might be that official leadership is just one of the many ways that we can serve each other. Too often, we see leadership as about exercising power and authority when, for Christians, leadership really ought to be about the application of love and the acceptance of responsibility. By casting lots, the apostles may have been saying that, although leadership is important, it is ultimately only one of the many forms of service that Christians might be called to in their love for one another. Viewed this way, we can perhaps come to better recognize the value of all the ministries in the church rather than focusing only on the importance of good leadership.
The Psalm continues with the theme of leadership, stating that “The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.” Yet once again the context is service, for the leaders are described as “servants of the Lord” and are praised for their devotion to Him. The Psalm closes with the recognition that the Lord lifts up the poor and lowly; once again, it is God who decide who leads and so the point of leadership is not personal power or authority but the honoring of God and the love of His people. The recognition that God lifts up the lowly might also remind us that, next to the infinite wonder of Almighty God, every human being is lowly, no matter how highly exalted some people may at times appear. Even a newly married prince and princess are, in the grand scheme of things, lowly mortals in need of grace.
Even more clearly than the two earlier readings, the Gospel emphasizes the role that love must have in Christian leadership and in the whole Christian life. Jesus tells all of us that He has chosen us and that He has a new commandment that we must follow if we want to be His disciples. This commandment ultimately turns out to be to love one another as He has loved us. Furthermore, He emphasizes even before His crucifixion that this is no ordinary love that He has loved us with, for we are to love another other as the Father has loved Him.
If we take this with any seriousness at all, it has profound implications for how we should think of Christian leadership, as well as for all relationships within the Body of Christ. As Christians, we are called to treat one another with love at all times, for everyone is a child of God. We must live differently than other people, because our lives must be lived within the love of Christ. Since we know that God has chosen each of us for special things and we understand that His love for each of us is overflowing with abundance that we cannot even comprehend, we have a responsibility to recognize the goodness of every human person. It may seem impossible at times, but it is our responsibility.
- Matthew Minix