Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Welcome back.
[00:00:08] Today is May 3rd, the fifth Sunday of Easter.
[00:00:23] Did you know that every Catholic bishop in the world is a successor of the apostles?
[00:00:29] The words disciple, apostle and the 12 often are used interchangeably, but they don't mean exactly the same thing.
[00:00:38] The word disciple comes from the Latin word meaning learner or follower of a master.
[00:00:44] In the Gospels, it refers to those who answered Jesus call and traveled with him, men and women alike.
[00:00:53] Luke mentions that Jesus once sent 70 disciples out to preach, though there were likely more.
[00:01:01] Later, in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke also uses disciple to describe new believers who were baptized after Jesus resurrection.
[00:01:11] Today, the term applies broadly to all the baptized.
[00:01:17] The 12 refers to a unique group chosen from among the larger circle of disciples, the apostles.
[00:01:25] They symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel in the new Covenant.
[00:01:29] Their names are listed in the Gospels and Acts, though with slight variations.
[00:01:35] The word apostle comes from a Greek word meaning one who is sent, similar to an ambassador.
[00:01:43] The term doesn't apply to all disciples, but it does apply to the 12 and to others who were given a special mission.
[00:01:51] St. Paul, for example, calls himself an apostle.
[00:02:04] Let's turn our attention to today's homily. I was called by name.
[00:02:13] There's a quote by G.K. chesterton that states, a dead thing can go with this dream, but only a living thing can go against it.
[00:02:25] I don't know much about Matthias, but I wonder what kind of person he was and what he was thinking when he was selected to be one of the Apostles.
[00:02:35] He wasn't chosen when Jesus picked the original 12.
[00:02:39] Then Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. And Matthias found himself in the same situation that actually I'm in today, serving a God who isn't visible.
[00:03:07] By some strange circumstances.
[00:03:10] Here is Matthias as the apostles try to choose somebody to replace Judas.
[00:03:16] And they're going to do it by chance.
[00:03:18] They're going to draw lots, and Matthias is chosen to be one of the 12.
[00:03:25] Well, it may seem like Matthias selection was by chance, but it wasn't.
[00:03:31] The apostles had prayed.
[00:03:33] They believed that God works in so many mysterious ways that sometimes it seems like chance.
[00:03:39] It's like wondering how I got to be who I am, how I even got the gift of life, and how I became Catholic when most of the world isn't.
[00:03:52] There are about 8.2 billion people in the world and only 17 to 18% are Catholic.
[00:04:00] But my being Catholic wasn't by chance any more than Matthias being chosen to be an apostle was by chance, even though I was called by God to be a disciple in a way that seems mysterious. And almost by chance, I was called by name.
[00:04:18] And the more I believe that I was handpicked by God and sent into this world, the more I feel called to sometimes stand against the world and be who I am called to be.
[00:04:33] God's disciple.
[00:04:40] Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
