Homily: May 14 - Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle - Apostolicity

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthias, and the first reading explains the election of this thirteenth apostle, who would take the place of Judas.  The Apostles were gathered in the upper room with Our Lady.  Peter stands up, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, explains the qualifications for this role.  The new apostle above all was to be a witness; he was to have accompanied them the whole time that the Lord Jesus was among them from the baptism of John until his death.  He was to also have been a witness to the resurrection. 

There were two men of equal merit, and so after praying, they cast lots and the choice fell on Matthias.

So Matthias was chosen to take up that ministry of going out and teaching all nations.  Of the rest of his life we know very little except that he persevered in his vocation—that he was an untiring preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And this really is enough for us, who each have a vocation in the Church—to persevere faithfully. 

Nor do we really know the details of his martyrdom; one account states that he was arrested because of the faith and brought to trial in Jerusalem.  He was told to that he would be stoned, like Stephen, if he did not renounce his faith.  Matthias said, that he would rather die than renounce the faith.  So, he was put to death, and legend says that he was either crucified or beheaded, and that afterwards his relics were preserved in Jerusalem until St. Helen had them brought to Rome. 

This is a great feast of the apostolicity of the Church.  In the Creed we profess our faith that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.  The Catechism teaches that "In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after their death, the apostles consigned, by will and testament, as it were, to their immediate collaborators the duty of completing and consolidating the work they had begun, urging them to tend to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit had appointed them to shepherd the Church of God…” as we heard in the election of Matthias.

That apostolic ministry continues unbroken from the apostles to every Catholic bishop throughout history.  Hence we believe that "the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such a way that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ."

So we commend to God all of the bishops who are the successors of the apostles, that through their preaching and teaching, the Christian faith may be spread and deepened, and that all of us may persevere in keeping the commandments and witnessing to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.