Feast of Saint Matthias

Good morning. What makes it work? Half wind up in divorce, so what makes it work? There is probably no one thing that makes for a lasting marriage, but certainly loyalty is at the top of the list. Without a doubt, loyalty to your marital partner is extremely important. This idea of loyalty occurred to me as I was reading the Gospel for today and reflecting upon the life of today’s saint. Without exception Jesus is the epitome of loyalty. In this reading for this morning Jesus is preparing to return to His Father and He gives his Apostles some last minute instructions, one of these being to "love one another as I love you." Reading this it occurred to me that this band of men had been with Jesus night and day for three years, and all but one remained loyal to Him. In fact, of the remaining eleven, all but one, John, would die a martyr’s death in loyalty to this Man they came to know as a friend and teacher. We celebrate today the life of Saint Matthias who was invited into that fraternity of loyal followers to replace Judas Iscariot. We might well surmise that Matthias was chosen to join the others that he was known to be a man of honesty and loyalty. 

Without a doubt, loyalty amongst friends, amongst lovers, amongst married couples is a virtue which is required for any relationship to last. There can be no betrayal of any kind for valued relationships to last. Keeping secrets, leaving the other out of the loop, putting others or other things first just will not work, and putting others before your relationship will tear down the marriage. In marriage, the happiness, joy and welfare of our spouse should be our number one priority. Our concerns for our spouse should always take precedence over the concerns or interest of others—bar none. Loyalty should be a top priority in marriage. Everything else in a relationship is worth very little if loyalty does not abide. Without loyalty, it matters little if you’re rich or poor, without loyalty you can be unhappy either way. If there is an area in marriage where zero tolerance should apply it would certainly be in the area of loyalty. Outside the relationship with our spouse there should be no other relationship that should be considered in line with that of our spouse. Our spouse is number one. Make a great day! 

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Matthias.