Saint Athanasius
Coptic Orthodox Church
Clement of Alexandria says that according to tradition Saint Matthias was one of the seventy-two disciples whom our Lord sent out, two by two, during His ministry, and this also is asserted by Euesebius and Jerome.
We know from the Acts of the Apostles that he was constantly with the Savior from the time of His baptism until the time of His ascension. When Saint Peter soon after had declared that it was necessary to elect a twelfth apostle in place of Judas, two candidates were chosen as most worthy, Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. After prayer to God that He would direct their choice, they proceeded to cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was accordingly ranked among the apostles. He received the Holy Spirit with the rest soon after his election, and applied himself to zeal to his mission.
It is stated by Clement of Alexandria that he was remarkable for his insistence upon the necessity of mortifying the flesh to subdue the sensual appetites - a lesson he had learned from his Master and which he faithfully practiced himself.
The first part of his ministry was spent, we are told, in Judea, but afterwards went to other lands. According to the Greeks, he planted the faith in Cappadocia and on the coast of the Caspian Sea; he endured great persecution and ill-treatment from the savage people amongst whom he labored, and finally received the crown of martyrdom at Colchis, probably crucified (according to the Greek Menaia and other sources). His body is stated to have been kept for a long time in Jerusalem and have been transported from there to Rome by Queen Helen.
May the prayer and supplication of Saint Matthias the Apostle be with us all.
Amen.
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