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Friday of the 6th Week of Easter

May 14, 2021 by Fr Joseph

The selection of Saint Matthias to replace Judas reminds us that no one is indispensable for the ultimate carrying out of God’s saving plan—a little like David being selected to replace Saul when the latter proved unsuitable to the task. Nevertheless, although none of us indispensable, as John Henry Newman affirmed, God has assigned a specific mission and life-task to each one of us that cannot be fulfilled in the same way by anybody else. Thus, should we fail in carrying out our mission, the church and the world will be deprived of an intended blessing and grace. So although Matthias replaces Judas, there is a real sense in which he doesn’t. Had Judas repented and sought the mercy of the one he had betrayed, the early history of the church would have been different and almost certainly enriched. For all we know there might have been an authentic fifth gospel according to Judas that would have offered yet another perspective on the life of our savior. Good reason, then, to do our utmost to be faithful in carrying out the mission entrusted to us so that our lives, too, may enrich our community, the church, and our world.

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