ST MATTHIAS, APOSTLE (Feast) Red

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Psalm: 113. R. v. 8; Gospel: Jn 15:9-17

ACCEPTING NEW CHALLENGES

BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP

“Let his habitation become desolate and let there be one to live in it; and his office let another take.” (Ps 109:8)

Have we ever taken over an office left in ruin by another? If we have, we may understand the challenges Matthias had to face as he took over the office of Judas. Such kind of replacement can be trailed by the suspicions of those around us. But it can also instil some courage in a successor to build trust again. There are people who take over an office and only end up trying to build what was destroyed by their predecessors. This can be enervating. But what matters most in any job is not the bad state of the office as left by a predecessor but the spirit with which a successor takes up the new job.

When the lot fell on Matthias to take over the office of Judas, he knew he was called to raise the bar which Judas brought down. He knew it was time to build trust again. Matthias was known as a man who had intense love for God and forsook worldly desires. Tradition had it that he was remembered for preaching the need for the mortification of the flesh with regard to all its sensual desires. And that he carried out his responsibilities with dedication, sincerity and commitment. Matthias preached the gospel for more than 30 years in Judea, Cappadocia, Egypt and Ethiopia. He was stoned to death at Colchis in 80 AD.

We learn from St Matthias that every opportunity is a time to put in our best. When we are placed in position which to our judgment is substandard or in ruin, we shouldn’t see that as punishment. It could possibly be that God wants to bring out the best in us. So, it would be in our best interest to always read positive meaning to our situations in life at any given time. This could give us that psychological boost to explore our latent potentials and make us achieve what we ordinarily thought we couldn’t achieve. We shouldn’t belittle ourselves. We need to trust in God and in ourselves so we can blossom wherever we are planted. We may not discover the gifts in us until we learn to make a shift.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Lord Jesus, give us the vision to see that in our challenges you bring out the best in us. Amen.