Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
This week, our family has some friends staying with us – friends who have seen us through first jobs, marriage, lean economic years, children, deaths of parents and grandparents and so on. Though we live far apart, we still call each other, and call ON each other.
Our relationship with these friends is not like most of the relationships we’ve developed over the years. We’ve made a lot of friends through our several moves over the years, but most of those friendships have naturally faded as we’ve moved apart. Not this one though – this one is a friendship that enables deep sharing and stands the test of lots of changes, even arguments and times when we’ve called each other out, speaking the truth in love.
The gospel reading (John 15:9-17) for today Jesus calls us his friends and I’d like to think that the kind of friendship Jesus means is more like the one we have with this couple, than some of the friendships that have faded. “Remain in my love” suggests a steadfastness – and importantly, those who remain in Jesus’ love are also the ones who have strength enough to deal with persecution and temptation. What Jesus seeks with us is this strong kind of friendship, the kind where you have the space to grow and change and get angry and so on, but through all that, the love that you share remains strong.
What an important, incredible statement this is for Jesus to make – especially for us very highly changeable, fickle humans! Even when we move away and our love fades, Jesus’ love is always present and he remains friends with us.
We can put this together with the calling of Matthias as described in the first reading for today (Acts 1:15-17,20-26). Who better to replace Judas (who had, after all, been just one of those strong, steadfast friends of Jesus at one time) than another person who has been with Jesus from the beginning, who has remained in Jesus’ love even though he was not one of the original twelve?
It is significant and important too, that while Judas’ betrayal could have led the disciples to question themselves and their friendships with each other and with Jesus, they do not go down that road. Instead, they opt for hope and for new friendships in the person of Matthias. They take the risk that sometimes friendships don’t work out (as Judas shows) – but allow Matthias to become a new witness of Jesus’ friendship. Ultimately, Matthias and all the apostles and all the other many witnesses of Jesus' friendship show us ways to be Jesus' friends ourselves.
Today let us pray for friends who help us follow Jesus better.
Joel Schickel