THE SPIRIT OF PREDESTINATION

THE FEAST OF ST. MATHIAS THE APOSTLE 

Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP

Acts 1:15-17,20-26; Ps 113:1-8; Jn 15:9-17

Theme: The Spirit of Predestination

We celebrate the feast of the apostle Mathias, added to the college of apostles to replace Judas Iscariot, who abandoned his exalted office as an apostle of his own volition. To a noncritical mind, it would seem that Judas was destined to be lost according to the scriptural prophecies. Such a thought or conclusion from the scriptures quoted by St. Peter would destroy the infinite justice of God. This would be the case if God were to destine a soul he made to hell even before the soul was conceived. “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.” The true understanding of the scriptural prophecy concerning Judas is that he played the role or assumed an office about which the Holy Spirit foretold. The prophecy does not determine anybody, but rather the role or office. To believe otherwise would be to destroy the free will God gave to man which is supported by the authority of the scriptures. Hence, the office is predetermined by the foreknowledge of God, but the person to assume the office is not, but assumes the office by his free will and choices made each moment. 

There were two offices in question which were both prophesied in the scriptures: the office of an apostle and the office of the betrayer or traitor. “Let his camp be reduced to ruin. Let there be no one to live in it. And again: Let someone else take his office.” God chose and called him to the office of an apostle, but he chose the office of the betrayer or traitor of his own free will choices. In the same way, God chose and called Judas to an exalted office of an apostle, he has called everyone he made to a heavenly inheritance in Jesus Christ. But this call does not determine anybody, just as in the case of Judas, each of us decides to answer or not to answer the vocation of God each day by the choices we make, exercising our free will. Without faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, he sends to us, our lives are ruled more by chance and probability because of our imperfect knowledge and imperfect love for God. By meditating on the word of God, and contemplating the love the Father has shown to us in Christ, reduce the element probability in our spiritual life. 

The disciples in casting a lot did not leave everything to chance, but first made their selection based on what is fixed and certain. “We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us…” The lot was to discern the will of God for the two men they selected. This implies that the more we draw closer to Jesus Christ, the probability of attaining salvation changes to certainty. We ascertain this truth from the words of our Lord in the gospel. “As the Father has love 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.” What aided Jesus in keeping his Father’s commandment is his love for his Father. This love is the Person of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and filling us with the love of Jesus Christ, our salvation is still probable. But when the Holy Spirit is fully in communion with us, our salvation becomes almost a certainty. The love of Jesus increases our knowledge of God’s will and makes us live in his love. “I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.” Because love fixes the will to the object of love, the coming of the Holy Spirit who is love predestines us to God who is our end. Thus, the Holy Spirit is our predestination to glory. 

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to remain attentive to your love everyday in the communion of your faithful, that supported by the prayers of St. Mathias, our choices everyday may lead us to you our final end.  

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