Homily | May 14, 2026 | Faithfulness Beats Fame | (Episode 123)

In the first reading today, we see the church has experienced its great first betrayal.

Judas is gone.

Imagine the pain, the confusion, and the scandal of that moment.

One of the twelve, one of the men who walked with Jesus, heard his preaching, witnessed miracles, sat at the Last Supper, completely falls apart.

And yet, what is remarkable in this, the church does not collapse.

Peter stands up, the line matters.

Because the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is constantly the one who stands up.

He takes leadership, he strengthens the brethren, he guides the church forward.

And what does Peter do?

He moves to fill that empty place left by Judas.

That's important because it teaches us something profound about the church.

The mission of Christ is bigger than the failures of individual members.

The betrayal of Judas was terrible, yes, but the gospel continues.

The weakness of men do not stop the work of God.

That's been true for 2,000 years.

There have always been scandals, always betrayals, always sinners inside the church.

Yet the church continues because the church does not belong to us, it belongs to Jesus Christ.

Sometimes people will say, Well, if the church were really holy, there wouldn't be sinners in it.

But that's like saying a hospital is fake because six people sick people are inside.

The church has always been a place where weak human beings are being transformed by grace.

And then we meet Saint Matthias.

Poor Matthias, almost disappears in history.

We know almost nothing about him.

No famous miracles, no letters, no gospel with his name on it.

And yet today the church celebrates him as an apostle.

Why?

Well, because holiness is not about fame, it's about fidelity.

Notice the qualifications Peter gives for the next apostle, someone who stayed with Jesus from the beginning, someone who remains, someone who is faithful.

Matthias teaches us something beautiful.

You do not have to be famous to be indispensable in the kingdom of God.

Some of the holiest people in the world will never trend online.

They will never have a statue in front of a church somewhere.

They will never write books, never become celebrities, but they were always faithful.

They prayed, they loved, they sacrificed, they endured.

They quietly bore fruit that only heaven fully sees.

And then the gospel today takes it even deeper.

Jesus says, It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.

That changes everything.

Christianity is not ultimately about our search for God.

It begins with God searching for us.

Before we even prayed, he called you.

Before you ever loved him, he loved you.

Before you ever chose him, he chose you.

And Jesus says, I have called you friends.

It's a powerful line.

The creator of the universe calls us friends, not servants, not employees, not strangers, friends.

But notice what Jesus says immediately before that.

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.

Real friendship with Christ is not sentimental, it is transformative.

We live in a culture that often reduces love to emotion.

Jesus connects love to obedience.

If you love me, keep my commandments.

Because love is proven not by words, but by fidelity.

A husband proves his love by fidelity.

A priest proves his love to his people by fidelity.

A disciple proves love by fidelity.

Because you see, anyone can be enthusiastic for five minutes.

The saints are the ones who remain.

And maybe that's the real lesson for us with Saint Matthias.

Judas had the greater name, the greater visibility, the more dramatic story.

But Matthias remained faithful.

And in the end, history remembers Judas for betrayal, but heaven remembers Matthias for perseverance.

That's the choice before every Christian life.

So my brothers and sisters, it's not about whether we'll be famous, whether we did such great, huge things, whether we are admired or we are applause, we seek applause.

It's whether we remain faithful to Christ at all cost.

Remain with him faithful to the ever to the very end.

Amen.