Post-feast of the Transfiguration; Holy Apostle Matthias
Polyeleos Feast. Dormition Fast.
Acts 1:12-17, 21-26; Luke 9:1-6
Read Acts 1:12-17, 21-26
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Far too often poor Matthias is the forgotten Apostle. Sometimes in iconography he is bumped for St. Paul, but St. Matthias has a very interesting and power witness, which he adds to the college of the apostles. He was born in Bethlehem and grew up studying the Law under the instruction of St. Simeon the God-receiver (Luke 2:25-25). He believed, followed Christ and was chosen by Jesus to be one of the Seventy Apostles who were sent out to prepare the way for the Lord as he travelled from village to village.
After Judas betrayed and rejected the Lord his position was vacant until the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was there that the Lord chose Matthias (Acts 1:15-26) to fill the vacant position. He was close with the Apostle Andrew as the two of them traveled together. The Lord preserved Matthias from death many times. On one occasion he was forced to drink poison and it did not harm him (Mark 16:18). He was made invisible when a pagan mob in their rage tried to kill him. On another occasion the earth opened up and swallowed up an angry mob chasing him.
There is some disparity as to where Matthias ended his life. One tradition states that towards the end of his life he returned to Judea to preach to his own. His great success did not go unnoticed by the Jewish High Priest Ananias, who had him arrested and brought to trial in front of the Sanhedrin. Here filled with the power of the Holy Spirit St. Matthias was given the words to defend the Lord eloquently as he demonstrated using the Old Testament prophecies, in front of council, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial (of the same substance) with the Father. With this final witness the Jewish Sanhedrin stoned him to death. Through the prayers of St. Matthias the Apostle, Christ our God have mercy on us and save us.