May 14, 2011
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place." Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24-26
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another. John 15:15-17
Piety
Father, may we be truly present to those around us today. Help us to put away the devices that distract us and be witnesses to the leadership and friendship and service that you require of your children.
Study
Today’s readings lead me to consider two themes that are central to the Cursillo method: leadership and friendship.
Matthias and Justus were both considered for the honor of replacing Judas among the disciples. One was chosen the other was not. Thus, Matthias was counted among the eleven. It was not the remaining Apostles who chose Matthias. Jesus chose Matthias long before the disciples ever cast their lots.
Leadership implies having a seat at the table. Maybe Matthias was not at the table for the Last Supper, but with his election, he now shares in both the leadership of this young Christ-centered movement and the friendship with its true center – Jesus. Such leadership may have its privileges but it also has its risks. Justus shared in the risk of rejection, the risk of loss. What do you do if you are NOT chosen?
I was struck by the qualifications that were listed for consideration: "Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
The sole qualification listed was presence.
Action
If presence is necessary in order to become a witness, a leader and a friend, can we consider how often are we truly present to those around us? Are we too concerned with the phone call coming in, the text message, the e-mail trail, the latest "Tweet" or some other electronic breadcrumb from another portion of our life that distracts us from paying full attention to those with whom we are present?
Try deleting some of those most popular applications from your “smartphone.” Try leaving that phone behind when you go someplace – like to church. Then, try leaving it behind for longer periods of time and you will learn all over again what life was like before anyone invented Facebook or voicemail.
