And Then There Were Twelve

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men 
who accompanied us the whole time 
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
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.

Today we are given a glimpse of how things were in those early days and we do learn a couple of facts that will serve us well in the future. There was a whole bunch of people assembled, one-hundred twenty to be exact. In this case, I don't know if that number is a symbol for something else or not, I will check and get back to you on it. But, suffice it to say that a crowd was there.  Now, among the eleven remaining Apostles, who was it that rose up to speak, who was it that was able to silence the crowd, it was Peter.  When Peter speaks, people listen.  We see here an example of his primacy amongst the Apostles. He decides the agenda and we are reminded that Jesus gave him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, he is the Prime Minister, the person that acts for the King.   The second thing we see is that there is an orderly process to fill the vacancy left by the death of the traitor, Judas Iscariot. They drew lots and depended on the Holy Spirit to select one of the candidates for the office and Mathias drew the short straw, so to speak.

These early days set the pattern that we follow up until today. Now, we do not draw lots to appoint new bishops, we leave that to the Holy Father, the Pope, the man with the keys, the successor to Peter.  The Roman Catholic Church is rich with traditions that allow her to stand out among the denominations. We have a colorful way of doing things that use the things of this world to make things holy, through the grace and power of God, of course.  We are also the Church that Christ founded.  He did not institute the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, or any of the others. Jesus has the Holy Spirit standing guard on His Roman Catholic Church so that she does not teach error.  This safeguard does not flow down to the denominations created by ordinary humans.  To be sure, He loves all of His children, but He has a special love and takes special care with the Roman Catholic Church. 

Why is it, do you think, that assaults against Christianity are centered on the Catholic Church?  The evil one knows that in order for him to triumph he has to defeat her.  He bothers little with the order denominations for they are not protected as the Catholic Church is.  The other denominations may form paths for people to get to heaven, most assuredly so.  But the Roman Catholic Church not only has the full truth of the Gospel, but she is the one best equipped to interpret the Gospel for the world for she has the protection of the Holy Spirit. 

Be proud of your membership in such an august community.  You were chosen to be a Catholic and you have a job to do. one that no one in history will be able to accomplish.  Baske in the Light of Christ and be the first to bend your knee to Him, do this through how you live, and the world will be filled with awe and wonder and you will be able to lead many people home. 

The poor souls in Purgatory need your prayers today.  Please spend a moment or two and say some prayers for them, dedicate a sacrifice for them, and always remember, as they are today, someday you might be.