Acts 1:15-26 & Matthew 11:25-30
As we journey through Septuagesima, a season of preparation before Lent, today’s readings call us to consider divine election, humility, and trust in God’s providence. Acts 1:15-26 recounts the selection of Matthias to replace Judas among the Twelve, while Matthew 11:25-30 presents Christ’s invitation to the humble and burdened to find rest in Him.
The Apostolic Succession: God’s Sovereign Choice
In Acts 1:15-26, St. Peter stands before the disciples and asserts that Judas’ betrayal and death were foretold in Scripture (cf. Ps. 108:8). The need to replace him underscores the divinely instituted structure of the apostolic college, for the number twelve represents the restored Israel.
St. John Chrysostom remarks on the necessity of this choice, noting that “the number twelve was necessary for the fullness of their ministry,” and that Matthias was chosen not by human will but through prayer and the casting of lots, signifying that “it is God who elects, not man” (Homilies on Acts 3). This affirms that the Church is built not on human ambition but on divine calling.
St. Augustine similarly observes that Judas’ fall serves as a warning, but also as a sign of divine justice: “God did not predestine his sin, but He foresaw it and made use of it to manifest His truth” (Exposition on Psalm 108). In contrast, Matthias’ election exemplifies God’s providential care for His Church, raising up new shepherds to continue the apostolic mission.
This passage urges us to trust in God’s governance of His Church. Just as the apostles discerned through prayer, we too must seek God’s will with humility.
The Yoke of Christ: A Call to Humility
In Matthew 11:25-30, our Lord praises the Father for revealing divine truth to the “little ones” while concealing it from the wise of this world. He then extends His tender invitation:
“Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.”
St. Gregory the Great interprets this passage as a rebuke of the proud who rely on their own intellect rather than divine illumination:
“The proud, because they attribute their learning to themselves, lose even what they seem to have acquired. But the humble, who acknowledge that they receive what they know from the Lord, are thereby made worthy of greater gifts” (Homilies on the Gospels 3.17).
Christ’s “yoke” is paradoxical: it is both a burden and a source of rest. St. Augustine explains that “to carry the yoke of Christ is no burden at all, for love makes easy what duty might seem to weigh down” (Sermon 70). The world sees obedience to Christ as oppressive, yet it is in submission to His will that we find true peace.
Matthias and the Little Ones: A Lesson in Humility
Both passages present a profound theme of humility. Matthias was not chosen because of any worldly merit but because he had faithfully accompanied Christ from the beginning (Acts 1:21-22). Likewise, the “little ones” in the Gospel are those who receive the mysteries of God not through intellectual pride, but with childlike trust.
St. Basil the Great teaches that “humility opens the door to wisdom, while pride closes the mind to divine knowledge” (Homily on Humility). The proud may seek the hidden things of God, but they will not find them; the humble, like Matthias, receive them as a gift.
A Call to Imitate Matthias and the Little Ones
As we continue our preparation for Lent, let us ask: do we seek God’s will with trust, as Matthias did? Do we receive the yoke of Christ in humility, or do we resist it in pride? The Church Fathers remind us that divine wisdom is given to the meek, while the proud are left in their blindness.
May we, like Matthias and the “little ones,” trust in God’s providence, embrace Christ’s yoke, and find rest in His Sacred Heart.
“For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:30)