Festival of St. Matthias, Apostle
Acts 1:15-20
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus—17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his homestead become desolate,
and let there be no one to live in it’;
and
‘Let another take his position of overseer.’
Call the understudy! A performer gets sick, or is injured during the run of a show, and the director calls for the understudy. This person has learned all the lines, blocking, and dances with the understanding that they would never be called upon to step into the role. And then, one night, it happens. The director shouts, “Call the understudy”, and everything changes in an instant.
I like to call St. Matthias the Patron Saint of Understudies because he comes into the story as a replacement for one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. Judas had betrayed Jesus and then taken his own life in a fit of remorse. Because Jesus had appointed twelve Apostles, the remaining eleven felt called to replace Judas. They narrowed the field to followers of Jesus who had been eyewitnesses of everything he had done. From that small group, God chose Matthias by lot.
This is a reminder to all of us that God’s call often comes swiftly and unexpectedly. Like Matthias, the faithful understudy, our job is to practice our spiritual disciplines and continue to grow in our faith so that, when God needs us, we’ll be ready.
Prayer: Lord God: We know that you equip those whom you call. May we always stand prepared and ready for whatever you ask. AMEN