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107.1 First Point
Judas
sold and betrayed Jesus Christ, his Lord and God, to the Jews so that they
might put him to death. Then he gave himself to the devil by dying in
despair. After the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, the apostles
assembled in a house to pray and to prepare themselves to receive the Holy
Spirit. At Saint Peter's request they chose Saint Matthias to take Judas'
place.[i]
This holy disciple was admitted among the number of the apostles only after
a common prayer was recited publicly by Saint Peter in the name of all the
apostles and disciples, who were praying together in the same place.[ii]
This shows us that in all we do for the glory of God and the
salvation of souls, we should undertake nothing without praying to ask God
for the light and grace we need to succeed in whatever we undertake for
him in this holy ministry, which can succeed only insofar as we are aided
by his help and directed by his Holy Spirit.
107.2
Second Point
In
order to choose Saint Matthias to take Judas' place, the apostles were not
content to pray; they consulted among themselves in order to decide
nothing in this matter except through consultation. They were convinced
that if they joined counsel to prayer, God would make known to them his
will regarding the choice which they had to make of one among those
present who had accompanied Jesus Christ, and who would now become one of
them to share in the holy ministry of the apostolate.[iii]
This is how God wishes you to act in your own conduct and in your
ministry. You should do nothing and involve yourself in nothing except on
the advice of your superiors, for it is up to them to let you know what
God is asking of you and how you should carry it out, whether with
reference to yourself or with reference to the good of those for whom you
are responsible. Be sure that by these two means you will make great
progress and that God will not allow you to go astray.
107.3 Third Point
In
the choice they made of Saint Matthias to fill Judas' place, the apostles
were not influenced by any human consideration; they even preferred him to
a relative of Jesus Christ. They paid attention to two things only. First,
that he had always been with Jesus Christ from his baptism to his
ascension into heaven,[iv]
so that he might be perfectly instructed in the teaching of Jesus Christ
and might be able to preach it with assurance. Second, he had to be
able to witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ,[v]
for if this mystery was to be proclaimed with certainty, it had to have
eyewitnesses who were beyond question.
This should lead you to realize that to carry out your ministry
properly, you ought to have in it no human considerations, and you should
not be concerned about anything which cannot help you to bring about the
salvation of the souls for whom you are responsible. This is the purpose
of your state and of your work. Is this how you act?
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The
only reliable information about Saint Matthias is found in the Acts of the
Apostles. According to the Greeks he brought Christianity to Cappadocia
and was crucified there. It
is said that he was buried in Jerusalem until Saint Helena (about whom De
La Salle writes in the meditations for May 3 and September 14) brought his
relics to Rome. His feast is
now celebrated May 14.
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