The celebration of the Feast of any of the Apostles is certainly a great feast in the
life of the Church, but in celebrating the Feast of St. Matthias, we have a unique situation,
for St. Matthias was not among the original twelve, but it was very clear from the Old Testament
that when the Savior would come into the world, he would build his Church on twelve pillars,
and so one had to be called in order to replace, as St. Peter calls him, the son of perdition,
who from all eternity was called to be one of the twelve pillars, that is,
one of the Apostles on which Christ would build his Church, but we know that the vice of avarice
would gain hold of the heart of Judas, and ultimately he would give up that great seat
that he was called to exercise for all eternity, and so the Lord, inspiring his vicar to replace
the one whom he had chosen from all eternity, chose by lot St. Matthias, that is, St. Peter
chose at this point because he had not yet received the Holy Spirit, and so St. Peter
received the special anointing of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost to replace the son of perdition
by the old method of the Old Testament, that is, by choosing lots, but by this, St. Peter
wished to manifest that truth that is explained in today's Gospel, that all vocations,
whether it be the vocation of the Pope, the bishops in the Church, religious, priest, or laity,
to the married state or to the single state, is not something that is a product of our good desires,
is not something that is a product of our good desires, is not something that is a product of our good desires,
or our good aspirations, for our vocation is a special calling by Almighty God himself,
and it has nothing to do with our good feelings and with our good motions, and so in discerning
vocations we must discern one question and ask one question, for often people become
confused thinking that their vocation is determined by whether they feel good about it or not,
or whether they feel this calling or that calling, but ultimately,
it is given to us when we discern, by prayer and by penance, that God has given me the grace to live
either in this state of life or in that state of life, indeed, the Vicar of Christ, once he is called to be the Vicar,
must himself determine this, will God give me the grace to lead all the peoples of the world as his special representative
in the person of St. Peter, and so we have a most profound truth spoken to us in the election of St. Matthias,
that all vocations are a calling from God, and it is not a product of human emotions or human feelings,
human desires or human aspirations, it is a divine calling, and then we have only to fulfill that calling,
which St. Matthias would do in a most extraordinary way. His martyrdom was said to have occurred in Ethiopia,
where he, like St. Stephen, would be stoned to death and witness to the faith, and most particularly,
St. Matthias was known, and he was known, and he was known, and he was known, and he was known, and he was known, and he was known,
for preaching the virtue of purity, that is, St. Matthias was known to especially emphasize those matters
regarding the sixth and ninth commandments that all Christians are called to exercise in a heroic manner,
and in these matters, St. Matthias' preaching pointed out a very special thing, and one that must be noted
by all members of the mystical body. While it is true that most virtues, in some way,
we help to contribute to, but there is one virtue that is humanly impossible
for every human being across the board to attain to without the extraordinary help of God's grace,
that is, the virtue of Christian purity in the way it was taught by our Lord,
and we see very clearly, even the apostles were a little bit frightened at our Lord's teaching
in matters of the sixth and ninth commandment. For St. Peter, before he received the strengthening
of the Holy Spirit, he was a Christian, and he was a Christian, and he was a Christian, and he was a Christian,
and he was a Christian, and he was a Christian, and they were all told that the
Holy Spirit would declare when he clearly understood what the Lord's teachings was on the matter, that one man and one woman were to be united
in matrimony until death do they part, St. Peter would declare then, Lord, who can be saved.
And so, the apostles understood very clearly that the demands of the Savior in this matter were much more extraordinary,
but the reason, as it were, it is impossible for us
that our flesh has attained through the fall of Adam
and the weight of the effects of original sin that weigh on our soul.
What is most extraordinary is that any Christian in any state of life,
whether they are called to be the vicar of Christ or to be parents of children,
if they exercise the virtue of Christian purity according to the teachings of Christ,
then St. Ambrose tells us that that very witness witnesses to the whole world the presence of God in his helps.
For every human being, St. Ambrose tells us, in the depths of his heart,
knows that if a Christian attains and lives the virtue of purity according to the teaching of the Church,
then that there is a God because every human being in the depths of his heart knows
that it is a virtue that is humanly impossible to attain,
that is the Christian teaching.
And so, we must be constantly aware of this as we go about in the world,
for it is impossible for those who are not in the grace of God
to believe that the Christian can live that virtue according to the teaching of the Church,
and so we must especially be witnesses to that virtue to the world.
St. Matthias would die for his witness to that virtue,
and it is said that when St. Matthias was undergoing his stoning,
he prayed a prayer,
he prayed that the stones that were being thrown at him by his false accusers,
for there were at least two who falsely accused him of something untoward,
and so he was stoned to death.
St. Matthias prayed that those stones would not be the stones to strike his body,
but when they were cast at him, they were to be buried in the ground,
and in this prayer, our Lord would answer.
And so every stone that came at St. Peter from those who accused him,
of violating that vice that he preached so eloquently about,
every one of those stones was buried,
for the Lord would not allow the stones of those who accused his apostle of being impure
to strike that pure flesh of St. Matthias.
And so he truly became transformed into Jesus Christ,
and so we see also in his life that not only is God the one who initiates and calls us to vocation,
but God also gives us the grace to sustain ourselves in our vocation.
And so let us strive always because the life of St. Matthias points out
that when God ordains a particular thing,
that is, when the divine dispositions say that his church is to be constructed in an apostolic manner,
he will not allow the apostasy of one to bring down the church.
Rather, he simply will call another one to fulfill the seat,
that was to be given to Judas and now will be exercised in a heroic way by St. Matthias.
And so we are to learn also through the election of St. Matthias
the confidence that we too must have in God that when he ordains a certain thing,
that is, when he establishes things to be of this particular disposition or that particular disposition,
the Lord himself will stand by it and he will give us the grace,
and each and every soul the grace,
to fulfill their mission within the mystical body for his sake.
And so let us go forth with great confidence
that when one of the pillars of the church fell,
the Lord replaced that pillar,
and so he will continue to replace the pillars of the church until the end of time.
If one were to lose that seat as Judas,
then the Lord will rise up a holy man to replace him.
If the apostles, the successor to the apostles,
faithfully live this life,
die a modest death,
or simply die from the ravages of old age upon their flesh,
then the Lord will also replace them.
And so we must have complete confidence in God,
especially in this day and age,
that if Judas could be replaced,
then all those who are misleading the faithful will one day also be replaced by the Lord.
And so let us go forward in confidence,
knowing that it is the Lord himself who has called us,
and he will give us the grace to strengthen us,
each and every soul,
and each and every one in our vocation,
according to what that vocation requires of us,
and what the Lord wishes us to do with that vocation,
so that all the members of the mystical body,
working in one accord,
working for that unity of faith,
will help to establish that faith,
that kingdom,
into all the four corners of the world.
And so we see very clearly here,
in the election of St. Matthias,
what two vices are predominantly operative,
in order to lead souls astray,
the avarice that had crept into the heart of Judas,
and the impurity that this great apostle of purity would be accused of.
And so the devil seeks to lure us into the vices of avarice and lust,
in order that he may, once establishing us in these vices,
lead us, as one of the saints pointed by the nose,
to those vices that lead to our final impenitence,
that is, the blasphemy,
and the sacrileges that often occur when a soul is caught in these vices.
And indeed, we see very clearly this in the public order,
for the predominant vice that is operative in the public order in our day and age,
are both avarice and lust,
and they seem, at each and every moment, to march forward.
Indeed, the secular forces seem to be establishing them,
or trying to establish them,
as the absolute paragons of virtue.
And so,
one day, that society will, too,
come crumbling down under the influence of the Holy Church,
and it will be replaced by something greater,
because it will be replaced by what St. Matthias taught,
the teachings of Jesus Christ,
and souls willing to die rather than compromise the faith in any manner,
as St. Matthias did.
And so, let us truly rejoice in this election of St. Matthias,
for it proves that the Lord is the initiator,
and the caller to all vocations,
and it also proves that he sustains what he has established,
whether it be the vicar of Christ,
or the poor soul working out their salvation in fearing trembling,
whether it be in the marriage state,
the single state in the world,
the religious state,
the priestly state,
or in any other state,
and in any other vocation,
in which the Lord calls them to.
He will give them the grace to witness to his presence in their life,
so that they may witness to the presence,
the presence of Christ to the world,
so that all may come to know that love of the heart of Jesus,
that love that first burned in the heart of Mary.
And so, Mary truly became the mother of the apostles,
the sustainer of the apostles,
as she is truly our mother and our sustainer in all things.
And so, let us turn to her with confidence,
knowing that her son has called us,
and he has established her as our mediatrix,
in order that we may receive from her,
all the graces to truly,
like her son,
be children of Mary.