Jesus chooses his own; he calls them. This calling is their greatest honor, granting them the right to a unique union with the Master, to special graces, and to being heard in a very particular way in the intimacy of prayer. "The vocation of each person merges, to a certain extent, with their own being: it can be said that vocation and person become one and the same thing. This means that into God's creative initiative enters a particular act of love for those called, not only to salvation but to the ministry of salvation. Therefore, from eternity—from the moment we began to exist in the Creator’s designs and He willed us as creatures—He also willed us as called, predisposing in us the gifts and conditions for a personal, conscious, and timely response to the call of Christ or the Church. God who loves us, who is Love, is also He who calls (cf. Rom 9:11)"15.
Paul begins his letters like this: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God16. Called and chosen not by men nor by the authority of any man, but only by Jesus Christ and by God his Father17. The Lord calls us as he called Moses18, Samuel19, and Isaiah20. It is a vocation that is not based on any personal merit: The Lord called me before I was born21. And Saint Paul states it even more categorically: He called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace22.
Jesus called his disciples to share his cup with him—that is, his life and his mission. Now he invites us: we must be attentive so as not to drown out that voice with the noise of things which, if they are not in Him and for Him, hold no interest at all. When one hears the voice of Christ inviting them to follow Him completely, nothing matters compared to the reality of following Him. And He, throughout our lives, gradually reveals to us the immense richness contained in that first call—the call of that day when He passed closest to us.
The Example of Saint Matthias
Hardly had he been chosen when Matthias slipped back into silence. With the other Apostles, he experienced the burning joy of Pentecost. He walked, preached, and healed the sick, yet his name does not appear again in the Holy Scriptures. Like the other Apostles, he left an indelible trail of faith that lasts to this day. He was a burning light that God contemplated with immense joy from Heaven.
After the Ascension, while they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles chose Matthias to take the place of Judas, thus completing the number of the Twelve, who represented the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthias had been a disciple of the Lord and a witness to the Resurrection. According to tradition, he evangelized Ethiopia, where he suffered martyrdom. His relics, by order of Saint Helena, were taken to Trier. He is the patron saint of that city.
HCD