He remained and was rewarded
Remembering St. Mathias the Apostle: 14th May 2016
Acts 1: 15-17, 20-26; Jn 15: 9-17
The place of apostle Judas was empty and they consulted the Lord as to who should fill that place! They were inspired to have the criterion that Jesus himself proposed: it has to be one who has remained! Remain in me, said Jesus. And they looked for someone who has remained with them from the beginning to the end. Mathias (for that matter even Justus and so many others) had never aspired for anything. They could have had no clue about it. But they remained with Jesus and after Jesus had gone, with the rest of the band of followers.
Mathias looked up to nothing except that of being with Christ and he was rewarded for it with a responsibility. He never chose or claimed or aspired to be an apostle, he was chosen to be, because he remained in His love.
This is what the Lord invites us to: to remain in his love and to love each other with the same love as a sign of our discipleship. Surely the Lord will choose to use us as His apostles.