*** *** *** “Then they prayed, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.’ Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:24-26) ~ from the Didache Bible

~ We honor St. Matthias, the disciple who replaced Judas. After the Ascension of Christ, St. Peter proposed that an apostle be chosen to fill the place of Judas. St. Peter had a requirement in choosing the new apostle: someone that followed Jesus from the beginning of his public ministry and witnessed the Resurrection firsthand. Of the two men that met this criteria, the Apostles cast lots and Matthias was chosen. St. Matthias was martyred for continuing Christ’s mission of spreading the Good News.