Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 / John 15:9-17 (2020)
The name Matthias is of Hebrew origin and it means "the gift of God"
But Matthias was not chosen to replace Judas just because he had a nice and meaningful name.
Rather he was chosen by a draw of lots.
We would think that it was a rather primitive and secular method to use for such an important and sacred task.
But it only shows that the apostles left the choice to God.
They have done their part by proposing the candidates and commending them to to the Lord in prayer.
They let the Lord guide them in making the choice.
As Jesus said in the gospel, it is not we who chose Him.
Rather it is He who chose us, and He commissions us to go forth and bear lasting fruit.
Hence it is not so much our suitability for the task at hand but rather our availability for God.
Our availability is our response to God, just as St. Matthias made his availability his response to God.
So what we are is God's gift to us. How we can be available for God is our gift to God.