May 14th - St. Matthias By: John Mannikoikal

The apostles were looking for someone to replace Judas Iscariot as a new apostle because of his betrayal of Jesus and his own death. The apostles decided that the new apostle had to have been with them since the beginning, from the baptism of John to the resurrection of Jesus. This narrowed their reach down to two people, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. The apostles prayed to the lord and gave lots to them. The lot fell upon Matthias and he became the twelfth apostle. Besides this, not much is known about Saint Matthais’s life. He is the patron of carpenters, tailors, those with smallpox, and in prayers for perseverance and for hope. He also preached in Jerusalem but eventually got stoned and beheaded which is why he is often portrayed holding an axe.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

O God, who assigned Saint Matthias a place in the college of Apostles, grant us, through his intercession,
that, rejoicing at how your love has been allotted to us, we may merit to be numbered among the elect.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.