St. Matthias

After the Ascension, Peter stood before the one hundred and twenty disciples and declared that someone must take the place of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve. Two men were nominated: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. They prayed, cast lots, and the lot fell on Matthias — the last apostle chosen and the only one selected by the community rather than directly by Jesus.

Scripture tells us nothing else about Matthias, and traditions vary widely. Some say he preached in Judea, others in Ethiopia, Colchis, or along the Caspian coast. The silence of the sources has made him a patron of those who serve faithfully without recognition — the workers in the vineyard whose names history does not record.

His feast reminds the Church that God's choice often falls on the unexpected. Matthias was not the obvious candidate; that was Barsabbas. But the Spirit moves where it wills, and the criterion Peter set was simple: the new apostle must have walked with Jesus from the baptism of John to the Ascension. Matthias had been there all along.