20190514
THE
IMPORTANCE OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
14 MAY, 2019,
Tuesday, St Matthias
THE IMPORTANCE
OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Acts 1:15-17,20-26 ©
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'Let someone else take his office'
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One day Peter stood up to speak to the
brothers – there were about a hundred and twenty persons in the
congregation: ‘Brothers, the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which
the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered
himself as a guide to the men who arrested Jesus – after having been one
of our number and actually sharing this ministry of ours. Now in the Book of
Psalms it says:
Let his camp be reduced to ruin,
Let there be no one to live in it.
And again:
Let someone else take his office.
‘We must therefore choose someone who has
been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us,
someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the
day when he was taken up from us – and he can act with us as a witness to
his resurrection.’
Having
nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus,
and Matthias, they prayed, ‘Lord, you can read everyone’s heart; show us
therefore which of these two you have chosen to take over this ministry and
apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper place.’ They then drew
lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was listed as one of the
twelve apostles.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 112(113):1-8 ©
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The Lord sets him in the
company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
The Lord sets him in the
company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the
Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
The Lord sets him in the
company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his
throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and
earth?
The Lord sets him in the
company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the dungheap he raises
the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his
people.
The Lord sets him in the
company of the princes of his people.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Jn15:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 15:9-17 ©
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You are my friends if you do what I
command you
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know
his master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me:
no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you
to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you
anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you
is to love one another.’
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 1:15-17, 20-26; JOHN 15:9-17 ]
Today, we celebrate the
feast of St Matthias the apostle. It is significant that one of the most
important acts of the early Church was to appoint someone to replace Judas so
that the College of the Twelve Apostles could be maintained. Citing from the scriptures as a
justification for the necessity of a replacement, St Peter said, “Brothers, the
passage of scripture has to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking
through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered himself as a guide to
the men who arrested Jesus – after having been one of our number and actually
sharing this ministry of ours. Now in the Book of Psalms it says: Let his camp
be reduced to ruin, let there be no one to live in it. And again: Let
someone else take his office.” (cf Ps 109:8)
This explains why the
Catholic Church insists on the importance of the Apostolic College as a
guarantee of succession.
That is what we pray in the Creed, “I believe in one, holy, catholic and
apostolic church.” Vatican teaches, “Just as in the Gospel, the
Lord so disposing, St. Peter and the other apostles constitute one apostolic
college, so in a similar way the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, and the
bishops, the successors of the apostles, are joined together. Indeed, the very
ancient practice whereby bishops duly established in all parts of the world
were in communion with one another and with the Bishop of Rome in a bond of
unity, charity and peace, and also the councils assembled together, in which
more profound issues were settled in common, the opinion of the many having
been prudently considered, both of these factors are already an indication of
the collegiate character and aspect of the Episcopal order; and the ecumenical
councils held in the course of centuries are also manifest proof of that same
character. And it is intimated also in the practice, introduced in ancient times,
of summoning several bishops to take part in the elevation of the newly elected
to the ministry of the high priesthood. Hence, one is constituted a member of
the Episcopal body in virtue of sacramental consecration and hierarchical
communion with the head and members of the body.” (Lumen Gentium 22.1)
Apostolic succession is
necessary to ensure that the apostolic faith is passed on from generation to
generation. Hence,
in the selection of an apostle to replace Matthias, the most important
criterion was that he must have been a witness to the Lord so that He could be
a credible witness to Him. St Peter laid down the criterion for the
selection of an apostle. “We must therefore choose someone who has been
with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us,
someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the
day when he was taken up from us – and he can act with us as a witness to his
resurrection.”
Thus, it is important
that one who is chosen to be an apostle must know Jesus personally so that he
could be an authentic witness to His resurrection. This criterion, although
applicable to bishops in a special way, also applies to all Christians who are
called to be witnesses of the Lord. We cannot be a witness to the Lord if
we have not contemplated on His passion, death and resurrection; and if we have
not witnessed the power of His resurrection in our lives, just like all
ambassadors of countries must know their own country well and the policies of
their governments to be spokesmen for the country they represent.
Ambassadors do not represent themselves but always speak on behalf of the
country, even if they have their own personal reservations on a certain
issue. So, too, bishops, priests and even the laity must be clear when
they are speaking in their personal capacity and when they are speaking as
officials of the Church. Even then, it is never good for an official of
the Church to articulate publicly his dissent and disagreement with the official
teachings of the Church.
The selection of an
apostle, however, must take place in the context of a prayerful discernment. We do not choose someone simply
because we see that the person has all the qualities that are deemed fit for
the office. In the choice of David, the Lord said to Prophet Samuel, “Do
not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have
rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sm 16:7) That was why in choosing apostles
the early Church always did it in the context of prayer. In the case of
Matthias, we read, “Having nominated two candidates, Joseph known as Barsabbas,
whose surname was Justus, and Matthias, they prayed, ‘Lord, you can read
everyone’s heart; show us therefore which of these two you have chosen to take
over this ministry and apostolate, which Judas abandoned to go to his proper
place.’ They then drew lots for them, and as the lot fell to Matthias, he was
listed as one of the twelve apostles.”
We must remember that
the person must be chosen by the Lord and not by political manipulation. For this reason, it is important to
consider Joseph who was not chosen to be the next apostle. We can be sure
that Joseph was equally, if not more competent than Matthias. Why he was
not chosen is not something that we can logically explain. Indeed, in
life, there are often better candidates suitable for a particular office but
they were not chosen. That is why the Lord said, “You did not choose me,
no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that
will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What
I command you is to love one another.” It is the Lord’s choice and not
ours. Being an apostle or a priest is not something that we can demand or
something that we can work for. Rather, it is a calling which requires
communal discernment, especially by those vested with legitimate authority.
It is also significant
to clarify that it was not the lots that determined who was to be chosen to
replace Judas. Rather, it was the prayerful discernment and then, led by
the Spirit, the drawing of lots for one of them. Even today, after all the discussion
and objective assessment of a candidate for bishopric or for priestly
ordination or religious profession, the community must be led to make a
discernment based on prayer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It
cannot simply be a logical deduction and a human calculation of who is the
right candidate. Unfortunately, often board of directors, parish
councils, organizations and even Seminary Board of Admission and Religious
Congregations tend to be superficial in prayer when it comes to accepting a
candidate for an office. We do not ask the Holy Spirit but appoint them
to office based on their external qualifications, not unlike in the secular and
corporate world. This accounts for why often in our churches we have
leaders who are capable but lacking in Christian passion, ethos, and virtues in
leading their organizations. Some of them display only corporate values
and often forget the importance of the gospel values such as patience,
compassion, generosity and evangelical zeal. Many of our Catholic
organizations, unfortunately, treat their staff not as collaborators in the
mission but simply as workers employed to do a job. It is not about the
mission but about the work. Hence, instead of eliciting passion from our
staff and members, we are calculative with respect to work and assess them in
terms of KPIs rather than in terms of passion and commitment.
Indeed, in the final
analysis, the one chosen must be in love with the Lord in order to be a real
apostle and witness of Christ. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so I have
loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain
in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his
love. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call
you servants anymore, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I
call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt
from my Father.” Indeed, we can only be faithful witnesses of Christ if
we have been loved by the Lord first, so deeply that in return, out of
gratitude and joy, we choose to serve Him. Unless, we are the
friends of Jesus, we will not do His work with joy and passion. A servant
does his work often as a matter of obligation and duty. This is why he is
often calculative and lack initiative. It would not be so if we work for
the Lord with love.
In this way, flowing
from the love of Jesus and the joy of being loved by Him, we bring that joy to
completion by sharing it with others.
The Lord says, “I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your
joy be complete. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his
friends.” If we choose to serve our brothers and sisters, it is because
we want to love them in the same way the Lord has loved us. Inspired by
His love we do the same for others. This was the motivation of St Paul in
his mission when he wrote, “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are
convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died
for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for
him who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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