Elected to Serve in Love

 Reflection for Thursday of the 5^th Week of Easter

Feast of St Mathias

(Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Jn 15:9-17)

 Today we celebrate the feast of St Matthias. The name means, “Gift of God.” He was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the apostles. His election highlights the distinction between the individual apostle and the office he occupies. And the same applies to the different offices we occupy as children of God. Sometimes it is difficult to make this distinction, and the person occupying the office is tempted to identify himself as the office! Then humility vanishes, the Judas in him will begin to manifest. However, the election of Matthias was not as easy as it might seem.

Peter had about 120 disciples to select from. First the motive was made clear: to fulfil the word of God. Once the intention is found to be rooted in the will of God, the qualification of the person to occupy the office was outlined. “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us...” This qualification describes the task ahead: to witness to the resurrection! It was not attached to culture, colour or any human status. Imagine if this election were to be done today! At the end, only two people out of the one hundred and twenty met the criteria, Justus and Matthias. Then they prayed, and the method of election was by casting lots. “And the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles."

What Judas lost by withdrawing his love from Jesus and diverting it to money, Matthias gained by his steadfastness and love for Jesus from the beginning till the resurrection. That is why Jesus said in the Gospel of today that we should abide in His love. “As the Father has loved me, so I love you; abide in my love. Think about the tribulations of Jesus Christ and the journeys He made from the beginning, and how Matthias remained with Him, following in silence, almost unnoticed. Today he is counted among the foundation stones. If we remain in His love, our time of elevation will surely come.

But how are we to abide in His love? It is to keep His commandments. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” And how are we to love them so? It is by laying down our lives for others, to make sacrifices for them. Jesus laid down His life for us, His friends. We too, in the name of Jesus, must lay down lives for others, and not be like Judas who laid down his life for material gain but lost out. The love of Jesus has elected us like Matthias to go forth and bear fruit. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” We must not forget that each of us is occupying an ‘office’ in the love of Jesus. Therefore, He assures us, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Amen!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday May 14^th, 2020.

Feast of St Matthias (Apostle).

He is the patron saint of carpenters, tailors, those with smallpox, and in prayers for perseverance and for hope.