Feast of St. Matthias

Today's Mass Readings

Have you ever wondered why God can’t get it right the first time? Today is the feast of St. Matthias' who was elected as an apostle to replace Judas who betrayed Jesus. This is intriguing to me. Why did Jesus chose Judas in first place, knowing that he would betray him? Instead, if Matthias was chosen from the beginning perhaps Jesus would not have to undergo his passion and death. I have a friend who often says to me, “If I was God I would do things very differently.” In fact, he wishes that God would allow him to be God just for a day. His argument is that since God can do anything, as God he would eliminate suffering once and for all. Sometimes, it is tempting to think in these terms.

I wonder, if the disciples who gathered together to elect a new apostle also had similar thoughts. Even after repeatedly seeing Jesus there were still those who doubted and some of them were saddened by the departure of Jesus into heaven. But they trusted God’s wisdom rather than their own wisdom. They trusted in the presence of God in and through the Holy Spirit. In prayer they cast lots and affirmed Matthias on whom the lot fell.

The result of such trust is amply attested by history. The Gospel message spread, more and more people heard about the Good News of God in Christ. Matthias was a blessing to the Church. He planted Christ's message in the Caucasus, and has been respected and venerated by many faithful around the world.

Yes! Sometimes we wish we could play God. But all the power in the hands of human beings (technology, medicine, social sciences) has not made the lot of human beings any better. We have used our technology to make weapons that kill, used medicine to euthanize and abort, and used the social sciences to dominate one another. That is the sad history of human beings. If we cannot handle the little power that God has given us to us responsibly, what if one of us would become God? I can only trust God to be God!

Like the early disciples, we also called to trust the wisdom of God even if human life is like a puzzle. Even in the midst of daily struggles we are called to trust God and bear witness to the power of God in and around us. We are called to trust God and one another even though human beings killed the Son of God. We are called to hope and look toward the future even though we betray and kill one another. Somehow, God is still with us.

St. Matthias, pray for us, so that we can be God's witnesses in this broken world. Amen.

- Fr. Satish Joseph