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Saint Matthias is not in the Gospels as one of Jesus’ Apostles, but in the book of Acts, it is mentioned that he had been with Jesus since the time of his baptism in the Jordan River. He stayed with Jesus until the time of his Ascension into heaven. In the days that followed the Ascension of Christ, Saint Peter got the disciples together to hold an election to replace Judsas Iscariot, since his place among the twelve was now vaccant. There were two people suggested: Joseph (called Barsabas) and Matthias. After the vote, Matthias was declared the winner, and was then numbered among the twelve Apostles.

Greek tradition says that Saint Matthias ministered to the people of  Cappadocia and the coasts of the Caspian sea, and another tradition says that he was stoned at Jerusalem by the locals, and then was beheaded. Still another tradition says that he died of old age in Jerusalem.

While we don’t know exctly what happened to Saint Matthias after his election, we remember him today as one of the Apostles of Jesus. A collect for today:

O ALMIGHTY God, who into the place of the traitor Judas didst choose thy faithful servant Matthias to be of the number of the twelve Apostles: Grant that thy Church, being alway preserved from false Apostles, may be ordered and guided by faithful and true pastors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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From the Book of Common Prayer:
O BLESSED Saviour, who by thy cross and passion hast given life unto the world: Grant that we thy servants may be given grace to take up the cross and follow thee through life and death; whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit we worship and glorify, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

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God of the covenant,
in the glory of the cross
your Son embraced the power of death
and broke its hold over your people.
In this time of repentance,
draw all people to yourself,
that we who confess Jesus as Lord
may put aside the deeds of death
and accept the life of your kingdom. Amen.

Compassionate God,
your love finds full expression
in the gift of Jesus Christ your Son,
who willingly met betrayal and death
to set us free from sin.
Give us courage to live obediently in these days
until we greet the glory of our risen Savior. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also he made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all estates of all in thy holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

For all who bear hardships for the sake of the gospel:
that they may rely on the power of God,
who has saved us and called us to be holy.
For reconciliation between all nations:
that all leaders may know the perfect law of the Lord,
a rule to be trusted, giving wisdom and joy, light and life.
For those who live in poverty:
that they may know the immeasurable riches of the Lord,
who is full of grace and goodness.
For those caught up in political conflicts or military action:
that the leaders of the nations and all people everywhere
will be illuminated by the light of Christ to seek peace and reconciliation.
For our own communities of faith:
that through humble service and a pure heart
we may preach Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
God our Father,
hear our prayer which we have made from the depths of our heart
and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Fr Crouse concludes his sermon by writing of Jesus that, “The signs of his glory are the signs of body broken and blood outpoured. ‘He reigns and triumphs from the tree.’ That is the glory we celebrate on Palm Sunday, and that is the glory we show forth day by day in the Church’s liturgy as we break the bread and drink the cup. And that is the glory which must adorn our lives.” So enter once again into this week which is central to our faith. Set aside time to pray and watch. Fully enter into the mystery of Christ’s passion and suffering, and then you can truly rejoice on Easter with his resurrection.

quotations at from “Art thou a king then?”; a sermon by The Rev’d Dr. Robert Crouse

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rld, it became a day for honouring mothers, and for giving them gifts, and is thus still “Mother’s Day” in many countries.
As a special treat, many churches continue the tradition of making a simnel cake for Mothering Sunday, which is blessed at the main Sunday service, and then distributed afterwards. The cake dates back to medieval times, and is decorated with marzipan balls, usually twelve to represent the twelve apostles (or the eleven apostles, minus Judas, and the twelfth for Jesus). For this reason, the Sunday is also sometimes called “Refreshment Sunday.”

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Last Sunday would have been called “Septuagesima” if you attend a church that still follows our Book of Common Prayer calendar. The Revised Common Lectionary did away with some of these older terms, which is a shame, as we have lost this part of our heritage. The word Septuagesima comes from the Latin word for “seventieth,” this being the seventieth day before Easter. The following Sundays are Sexagesima (for sixtieth), and Quinquigesmia (for fiftieth). After that, we start counting the Sundays in Lent until Easter.

This pre-Lenten time was a chance to prepare for the fast days of Lent—perhaps to decide what things you are going to take on for Lent, or what things you are going to give up.

The Gospel lesson for Septuagesima Sunday is from Matthew, chapter 20: the parable about the labourers each receiving a penny for their work, regardless of how long they’d been there. St. Chrysostom wrote of this passage: “[Jesus] calls the first last, and the last first, not so that the last may be more honoured than the first, but that they may become co-equal; and that between them there is no difference by reason of time.” What a reassuring thing to think about as we prepare ourselves for the fast of Lent and the forgiveness of Easter—it is never too late to return to the Lord.

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard by Lawrence W. Ladd (from www.commons.wikimedia.org)

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And just like that, we’re back to the shortest month of the year, and often one of the coldest and most miserable for us in Newfoundland. February is the month that I always use in my examples of horrible weather, as in:  “Well that’s a nice long driveway in the summer, but just think of shovelling it in February!”  While we started winter months ago, we had the warm cheer of Christmas, and then new year and its resolutions. But now February has set in, and it’s cold, and it’s still dark.

But we have a lovely bright warm spot in the middle of the month with Valentine’s Day. As a kid, that meant making a “mailbox” in school from an old cereal box or something, and then the excitement of passing around Valentines to our friends, and getting them in return. As we get older, there is the romantic pressure of the day—the expected grand gesture or gift. But of course there must be more to the story of Valentine than the gifts, the fancy suppers, and even more than the funny little cards that we gave to our classmates.

Actually, there is very little that we know for certain about St. Valentine. We know that he existed in third century Rome, and that he was martyred for his faith and buried in a cemetery that is north of Rome. The name “Valentine” itself was popular at the time, and comes from the word valens, which means worthy, strong, or powerful. There are about a dozen saints in the Roman calendar who are venerated, and who share this name.

The most common version of the legend of this St. Valentine is that he was the Bishop of Terni, Narnia, and Amelia in central Italy. While under house arrest, a Roman judge questioned him on the legitimacy of Christianity and the faith in Jesus Christ. Valentine was challenged to restore the sight of the judge’s daughter through the power of prayer, and if he could do that, the judge would do whatever Valentine asked. So Valentine put his hands on the girl’s eyes, prayed, and her sight returned. 

The judge asked what he should do in response to this miracle, and Valentine replied that all of the idols that were around the judge’s house should be destroyed, that the judge himself should fast for three days, and he should then be baptised a Christian. The judge agreed, and also freed all of the Christian slaves that were under his authority—he, his family, and all of the members of his household were baptised.

Valentine was later arrested again, and was sent to the emperor Claudius Gothicus himself. The emperor liked Valentine, but grew angry when Valentine tried to persuade him to be baptised too. Claudius insisted that Valentine should renounce his faith or else be beheaded. When Valentine refused this request, he was executed on February 14^th, 269. 

There are many other legends of Valentine, and many reasons given for his later association with romantic love, including theories about Valentine’s Day being an attempt to take over the pagan holiday of Lupercalia (celebrated mid-February in Roman times). Many of these legends were actually invented in 14^th century England, notably by the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and are now dismissed in serious academic circles. However, in the almost complete absence of any real stories of Valentine, there seems little harm in taking time in the middle of a cold and dreary month to think about loved ones, to celebrate important relationships in our lives, to cut out red cardboard hearts, and maybe even to eat a bit of chocolate. The saints are there to point us to the love of God, and in many ways, regardless of the truth behind his many legends, St. Valentine reminds us all to love, and that is fundamental to our lives as Christians.

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