Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Matthias, who is remembered and venerated as one of the Apostles, although he was not among the twelve who were chosen personally by Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles record the facts: After the death of Judas Iscariot, Peter stood up in the midst of the assembly and said: '... it is necessary that one of those who accompanied us ... and became with us a witness to his resurrection ... be chosen (Acts 1: 21-22). These were the criteria that were set out: that the one chosen should be one of those who accompanied us - in other words, one of those who was with Jesus, who spent time with him, who knew him - and one of those who witnessed his resurrection.
Only those who have spent time with Jesus: those who have come to know him - not only to know about him, but to know him - and those who have experienced the great joy of knowing that Jesus knows and loves us, can truly bear witness to him. Jesus himself told the disciples: As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love (Jn 15: 9). Day after day, the Lord invites us to spend time with him. He wants us to be aware of his love for us; he wants us to remain in his love.
Just as it was important that the one who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the first disciples was one who had personal knowledge of the love of Jesus, and that that person was a witness to Jesus' resurrection, so it is for us today. Even now, Jesus needs us to bear witness among the people of our day to the truth of his love for us. We can only do this with authenticity and credibility if we speak of the love that we ourselves have known ... and we speak with greater conviction about Jesus resurrection if we are willing to give personal testimony to our own encounters with the risen Lord.
Have a great day.
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