Today is the feast day of St. Matthias. Little is known about this so called "13th Apostle." Now, some of you may argue that St. Paul is the real 13th Apostle, and I would agree to that position as well. This could be confusing to some since there can only be one 13th apostle. According to today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Matthias were among those unnamed follower of Christ, and thus he had first hand experience of Christ's teaching, and so he was chosen to be an apostle by the 11.
Paul, on the other hand, was chosen by the risen Christ to be his messenger, and so by default, Paul is also an apostle.
Here's the kicker, which one do you think is the more "productive" of the two? Matthias, picked by men, or Paul, picked by Jesus? This is not to downplay the contribution of St. Matthias to the Church, but it does shows us that God's selection is infinitely better than Man's choice.
"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
Dear Jesus, as we are discerning the call to serve, please let your will be done and let us be example of your love to all those we meet. Amen.
