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| "Saint Matthias" Rubens (Flem. 17th Cent.) |
“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have
given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:11b)
Does anybody remember Saint Matthias? If all the saints were on bubble gum trading cards, I bet Matthias’ card would be the least valuable of all. Aside from the initial draft, this guy doesn’t have any stats. Nobody knows anything about him. He’s not exactly one of your MVP apostles like Peter, John, or James. He isn’t even of quirky interest like Matthew or Simon the Zealot. Matthias makes his appearance in our First Lesson for Easter 7 Year B (Acts 1:15-17, 21-26), and then is never heard from again.[i] Some Bible scholars have opined, as Bible scholars are wont to do, that Peter and the others were just too antsy to sit around and wait for the Holy Spirit, so they figured they should do something. That “something” was replacing Judas Iscariot. Had they waited, they might’ve realized that the new twelfth apostle was going to be Paul. But, no. Thay had to shoot craps and pick this guy, a guy who doesn’t even have any sensational legends or miracles attached to him in the extra-biblical folklore of the Church.
The
only tiny scraps of information recorded about Matthias is that he might’ve
preached somewhere around the Caspian Sea and that he was martyred by being
stoned to death and then decapitated[ii]. But this makes me
wonder: if we don’t have a record of him, does that mean he didn’t do any
worthwhile ministry? I mean, c’mon! The guy got stoned AND beheaded. He
must’ve pissed somebody off, and there’s no surer way of doing that than
preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you go around talking about
forgiveness, compassion, generosity, and radical inclusion you’re going to make
somebody angry. We can’t say Matthias wasn’t a good apostle just because we
don’t know what he did for the faith. If he did anything at all, God knew it,
and that’s enough.
I
guess that’s my take-away. We won’t all be recorded as being heroes of the
faith. We won’t all start fabulously benevolent NGO’s or cure cancer or win the
Nobel Peace Prize. But that’s cool because God isn’t calling us to be madly
successful or to work miracles. God is calling us to faithfulness. Jesus
reminded us in the Sermon on the Mount not to sound the trumpet when we do what
we’re supposed to be doing anyway.[iii] It doesn’t matter that
nobody sees or knows about our good works. We’re not running for office. I just
think it’s important for us to recognize that those around us, faithful people
God has placed in our lives, may do so much good for so many people that we’ll
never know about or appreciate. But just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean
it isn’t being done. As the poet said,
“Full
many a gem of purest ray serene
The
dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full
many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And
waste its sweetness on the desert air.”[iv]
Our
lives are filled with totally unremarkable people. But they are people who
still show up and make a subtle impact just by doing their part. Like your mom,
for example. If you were to ask any Christian who was the most important
spiritual influence in their lives, I’d bet nine out of ten times they’d answer
it was their mom. This Sunday, the Seventh Sunday of Easter, is also Mother’s
Day here in the USA. I have no problem with giving a shout-out to all the patient,
steady, and otherwise commonplace women whose prayers and faithfulness have
kept churches and people from crashing headlong into the metaphorical ditch or
have been there after the crash to help pick up the pieces. Their work hasn’t
been glamorous. Like Saint Matthias, they may go unnoticed and unappreciated,
but they get the job done.
I
find it coincidentally appropriate that on this Mother’s Day we get one last reading
from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (John 17:6-19). It always seemed to me that
Jesus was taking on an almost parental role with this prayer. That is,
he’s praying for the disciples the way your mom might pray for you, or you
might pray for your kids. He’s saying in essence, “Father God, look after these
guys. I know I’m not going to be around much longer, so just keep them safe and
help them get along with each other. I’ve taught them everything, so now they’re
on their own. Don’t let them get into trouble in this dangerous world and help
them do the right thing.” Just as Jesus prayed this for his disciples, I have a
feeling someone at some time has prayed something similar for you.
Happy
Mother’s Day. It isn’t easy to have complete responsibility for something over
which you will, ultimately, have no control. And if you feel like an
unappreciated Saint Matthias, know your Heavenly Father—and probably a whole lot
of other folks who just haven’t been verbal about it—have seen your quiet,
regular, and faithful good works.
May
that thought bring you peace today, and may the peace of God which passes our
understanding keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
[i] By
the way, if you’re wondering what happens in verses 18-20, the writer recounts
how Judas Iscariot committed suicide by leaping from a great height and
eviscerating himself (literally “spilling his guts”) on the rocks below. It’s kind
of a gross story, so I can see why the folks who composed our Revised Common
Lectionary wanted to leave it out.
[ii] I
checked some of my faithful sources for this. They include Fox’s Book of
Martyrs (or, if you prefer the original title Actes and Monuments of the
Latter Perilous Days Touching Matters of the Church), that wonderfully gory
chronicle originally published in 1563 but appended many times since. I also
referred to my Pocket Dictionary of Saints (John Delaney, editor. Image
Books, 1983) and my Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints (Benziger Brothers
1926 edition).
[iii]
Matthew 6:2-4.
[iv] From
“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray, 1751. I really like
this poem. It’s one of my faves.
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