It Was Not You Who Chose Me, but I Who Chose You

May 14, 2008

Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

By Melanie Rigney

Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. (Acts 1:26)

He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. (Psalms 113: 7-8)

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain…” (John 15:16)

Piety

Lord, remind me that there is room for all at Your banquet, newcomer and old-timer alike, and that is not for me to judge whom nor how many You invite. Thank You for choosing me.

Study

Today's Readings

Catholiconline.org: Saint Matthias

Consider the situation of Saint Matthias, whose feast day we celebrate today.

Peter tells a gathering of about 120 of the faithful that it’s time to select someone to join the Eleven as a witness to Jesus’s resurrection. Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas are proposed, lots are drawn, and Matthias is selected.

This is the first and the last time we hear of Matthias in the New Testament. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “All further information concerning the life and death of Matthias is vague and contradictory.”

Still, put yourself in his shoes. Was he excited about making the big time, being “allotted a share in this ministry,” as Peter put it? Hard to imagine he wasn’t. Was he a little overwhelmed about joining the likes of Peter, John, and the others? Probably. Was there just a little resentment about not having been allotted a share in the first place? Possibly. After all, he’d been there at the beginning when Jesus was baptized, just like the Eleven and Judas. He might have felt a little like the first runner-up in a beauty pageant in which the winner relinquishes the title: grateful, but…

In Saint Matthias’s biography at Catholiconline.org, it’s reported that Clement of Alexandria said Matthias like the other apostles was chosen for what he would become; “not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy.” A similar sentiment is expressed in today’s Gospel, in which Christ reminds us that he, not we, do the choosing, and in the day’s Psalm, in which we are told the Lord “raises up the lowly from the dust.”

The Catholiconline.org article reminds us to remember a time when we felt like latecomers, or to welcome those in our community who might be in that situation. Let us remember there is plenty of room at the Lord’s Table for those who believe. Let us not concern ourselves about whether we are more or less deserving of a place of honor than our brothers and sisters who fill a more or less prominent place in community here on earth.

Action

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington

In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands us to love one another. Sometimes, it can be easier to love, sympathize with, and pray for the faceless throngs suffering far away in Myanmar or Darfur. While they need our love, sympathy, prayers, and support, so do folks right here in the Diocese of Arlington. This week, visit the Catholic Charities Web site and offer donations of food, clothing, time, or money to Christ House.