The Feast of Saint Mathias

If today’s gospel sounds familiar, we heard it last week on Thursday and Friday. It’s good to return to it as we celebrate the feast of Saint Mathias.

We honor Saint Mathias, of course, because Pentecost approaches and he was the man chosen to take the seat Judas Iscariot had vacated.  Beyond that we know little about him.

Scripture scholars, however, love his story because his election adds authenticity to the story of the twelve apostles. When some scholars have wondered about the twelve, and especially why we hear so little of them as the Church took shape, Mathias’ election certifies that there was such a group, that Jesus had chosen them, and that the group made some effort to maintain itself. However after the persecution that followed the killing of Steven and the execution of James the Greater, the group known as The Twelve Apostles disappears from the Bible.

We might expect them to reappear at the meeting in Jerusalem when Peter, James the Lesser and Paul discussed the question of circumcision but they do not. However, the legend of the twelve appears in the Book of Revelation (21:14). The apostolic tradition is the foundation of the Church and we have honored them throughout our history.

And what kind of group are we? If we were a political party we might fight to maintain our unity around certain policies, ideas and doctrines. But the Church is more than a party, and its binding is not a doctrine or ideology. Rather, we live by the command of Jesus to love one another. We are friends.

When someone says, “I don’t believe in organized religion.” I suppose he knows nothing of the church. We have organization but that’s not what holds us together. Even our love for Jesus goes only so far, for we are also friends to one another. I may not know the pope but I know the bishop who was personally appointed by the pope. Periodically he visits with the pope. I am only once removed from the Holy Father and, if you know your pastor or me, you’re only twice removed. That’s not very far from the top, as organizations go. If the pope wanted information about me (God forbid!) he wouldn’t have to go very far down the chain of command.

Obedient to Jesus, we love and revere our authorities – deacons, priests, bishops, cardinals and pope. It is they who keep us together. We pray for them daily, thanking God for the Sacrament of Holy Orders.