Friends With Jesus
Brethren, today we celebrate the feast of Saint Matthias, the Apostle, a man who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot after he had chosen to go his way by betraying Jesus. Matthias was chosen not only after the intense prayer and guidance of the Holy but also he was a longtime friend of Jesus and his Apostles and from the first reading we see Peter saying that is is necessary to choose a man ”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.” The celebration of today’s feast is not only the Apostleship of Matthias but also the friendship with Jesus that led him to be chosen as an Apostle.
In our daily lives, when asked to choose someone for perhaps a job, someone to give you company, someone to work with, someone to spend the rest of your life with as a husband or a wife, it is obvious that the first priority is your friend, the one who has been close to you in all situations; that one takes the first thought. This is so with Jesus too and the Holy Spirit. When Peter and the Apostles prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide them to choose who was to replace Judas Iscariot, the lot fell on the closest friend of Jesus and the Apostles, who had moved with them from the beginning in all situations.
Brethren, when we remain close friends with Jesus, we shall also have the first priority to be chosen for his great mission and bear much fruit in our lives. The truth of the matter is that Jesus took the first initiative to call us and make us friends, and as we see in the Gospel it is not us who chose him, it is him who chose us and appointed us to bear fruit. We are privileged to be chosen by God to be his friends and so let us keep that friendship. We only keep that friendship if we remain in his love, and we only remain in his love if we follow all his commandments which are summarised in one commandment: Love of God and love of the neighbour. We shall remain friends to Jesus if we love him above all things and also love one another as he loved us.
As modern disciples, we are blessed to be called to work generously to bring the message of Jesus, his light, and above all his love, to others (cf. John 15:16). We have been given this call, but we need divine help to accomplish it. May we always allow Jesus, our beloved and faithful friend, to teach us and help us mature in our acts of charity toward others to the point that we don’t count the cost. The work is ours; the glory belongs to him.
Friendship with Jesus cannot be broken by him. He never leaves us, even though at times it appears that he keeps silent. He remains at our side wherever we go. He simply asks that we not abandon him: “Abide in me” (John 15:4). And even if we stray from him, “he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). We want to be there for Jesus. We want to turn away from our weaknesses and abide in the Lord. We, therefore, stay close to the sacrament of reconciliation, which cleanses and strengthens us to abide in Christ
Reflect today on how a faithful friend you are to Jesus who calls you a friend. Can you be the first one to be chosen among Jesus’s friends for his great mission? The Apostles had lived with Christ and shared in his Resurrection; when Judas was to be replaced, they wanted someone trustworthy and faithful to carry on the mission. They were not simply looking for a follower, but a friend of Jesus. They chose St. Matthias. Jesus chooses us to be his friends, too. "I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father,” Jesus said. May we imitate St. Matthias, so that we may truly walk with Christ as his faithful friend.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, you are my dearest friend. I have a deep desire to be with you constantly, but I am weak. My flaws still hold me back. Help me to purify my friendship with you and to let go of those things that do not glorify you. Teach me how to love the unlovable in my life and to grow in maturity in my friendship with others as well. Amen
Be Blessed
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