Many of us know the story of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek for 30 pieces of silver. Judas, stricken with guilt over his betrayal, ended up taking his own life. But what happened after that?
There is a great significance in the number 12 within the Bible. Jesus hand selected the first 12 apostles. The 12 apostles are said to represent the “new Israel” as there were 12 tribes of Israel.
After the Ascension of Jesus, Peter and the other apostles gathered to figure out how fill the void left by Judas. It was determined that a new apostle would need to be named to bring the number back to 12. They decided the next apostle needed to be someone who followed Jesus from the very beginning, when he was baptized by St. John the Baptist. He needed to have seen the miracles himself and to have been witness to the resurrection. There were only two men of the 120 followers who qualified, Joseph called Barsabus (also known as Justus) and Matthias. The apostles prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which 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.” (Acts 1:24-25) Then they “cast lots” and the lot fell to Matthias, thus he became an apostle.
St. Matthias was the first apostle who was not hand selected by Jesus but was chosen through the apostles. This demonstrates the continuation of the apostolic ministry — meaning that the apostles were given the ability to pass on the sacred power of their ordination to others as their successors. This was a gift from Jesus to His first apostles and has continued on to this day. As the Church has continued to grow, others have been picked and, through grace, they have been ordained as bishops — including our own Bishop Warfel and Bishop Fleming.
This is an unbroken succession, which is our direct connection to the priestly ministry of Jesus as it is passed on to the Church. It shows us that Jesus is present to us in a concrete, personal and human way. He is present at every Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion, through the ministry of the bishop or priest.
The Bible is not clear as to St. Matthias’ life and his death, describing only his selection as an apostle. We know that he was present with Jesus from His baptism through His death and resurrection because that was a requirement to be selected as an apostle. Beyond that, we read historically (outside of the Bible) that he was a martyr and died — but it has been reported that he survived being poisoned and an attempt to stone him to death, which led to him being beheaded with an axe (which is why he is often portrayed with an axe).
St. Matthias the Apostle is one of the patron saints of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. Knowing what St. Matthias represents leads to an interesting reflection upon the way we look at God’s priests and bishops. How do you speak about them? Do you see Christ in them? Are you open to Christ ministering through them? Because, if we are, we are receiving a wonderful gift from Christ Himself.
Introducing the St. Matthias Giving Circle
New to the 2023 Annual Catholic Appeal will be our first giving circle, named in honor of our Patron Saint Matthias.
This Giving Circle recognizes our leaders in giving. Just as St. Matthias continued the legacy of the Apostles and their work, the Giving Circle enables us to continue the work of our ministries year to year. Individuals, families and/or corporations who give $1,000 in a single year will become members of the St. Matthias Giving Circle for that year.
Please help us continue
