Απολυτίκιο του Αποστόλου Ματθία – 09 ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ

TROPARUL ŞI VIAŢA SF. AP. MATIA

 9 august 

TROPARUL AUDIO

 Pomenirea Sfântului Apostol Matia.

Sfantul Matia a fost ales in randul celor doisprezece Apostoli, in locul lui Iuda Iscarioteanul, prin tragere la sorti. Sfantul Evanghelist Luca ne relateaza acest episod in Faptele Apostolilor: „si au pus inainte pe doi: pe Iosif, numit Barsaba, zis si Iustus, si pe Matia. Si, rugandu-se, au zis: „Tu, Doamne, Care cunosti inimile tuturor, arata pe care dintre acestia doi l-ai ales sa ia locul acestei slujiri si al apostoliei din care a cazut Iuda, ca sa mearga in locul lui. Si au tras la sorti; si sortul a cazut pe Matia; si el s-a randuit impreuna cu cei unsprezece apostoli“ (Fapte 1:23-26).

Sfantul Matia s-a nascut in Betleem, din tribul lui Iuda. A studiat Cartile Legii cu Sfantul si Dreptul Simeon. La inceput a facut parte din cei saptezeci de Apostoli. 
Sfantul Apostol Matia a vestit Evanghelia lui Hristos in Iudeea, Macedonia si Etiopia. 

Potrivit unor documente Apostolul Matia ar fi primit martiriul in Etiopia, in vreme ce alte scrieri vorbesc de plecarea sa din Etiopia spre Macedonia si Iudeea, locuri unde va vesti invatatura lui Hristos. Acestea din urma documente vorbesc de aducerea sa la Templu, din porunca arhiereului Anania, spre a raspunde acuzatiilor aduse de iudei ca propovaduieste un proroc fals, pe Iisus Nazarineanul. Pentru ca nu refuza sa-si lepede credinta in Hristos, Sfantul Apostol Matia este batut cu pietre pana la moarte.

Ca acestia sa nu fie acuzati de romani pentru ucidere nedreapta, i-au taiat capul Sfantului Matia, cu o secure. Amintim ca romanii apelau la aceasta practica, atunci cand cineva se ridica impotriva Cezarului. Astfel, moartea Apostolului Matia are drept motiv nerespectarea legii romane si nu credinta in Hristos.

Potrivit traditiei, moastele Sfantului Apostol Matia au fost aduse la Roma de imparateasa Elena, in anul 324. O parte din ele a fost trimisa in Trier, cel mai vechi oras din Germania. Aici, ele au fost descoperite in urma unor lucrari de restaurare a unei biserici. Dupa aceasta descoperire, ele au fost mutate in biserica abatiei benedictine, care isi va lua numele Sfantul Apostol Matia. Aceasta abatie este in prezent un mare centru de pelerinaj pentru Biserica Romano-Catolica.

Tinand seama ca exista doua versiuni cu privire la locul mortii sale, sunt si documente care vorbesc despre prezenta moastelor sale in Georgia de astazi. Poate fi veridica si aceasta varianta, daca tinem seama de faptul ca Etiopia este identificata de unii cercetatori cu estul Georgiei.

Πῶς ὁ Ματθίας κατατάχθηκε στὸ χορὸ τῶν δώδεκα Ἀποστόλων, τὸ γνωρίζουμε ἀπὸ τὶς Πράξεις τῶν Ἀποστόλων.

Μετὰ τὴν προδοσία καὶ τὸν ἀπαγχονισμὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ μετὰ τὴνἈνάληψη τοῦ Κυρίου, οἱ ἕντεκα μαθητὲς μὲ τὴν Παναγία βρίσκοντανστὸ

 ὑπερῷον. Τότε ὁ Πέτρος πρότεινε νὰ ἐκλεγεῖ ἄλλος ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ τοὺς ἄνδρες ποὺ ἀκολουθοῦσαν ὑπηρετῶντας τὸν Χριστό. Ἡ πρόταση ἔγινε δεκτὴ καὶ τέθηκαν δύο ὑποψήφιοι: ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ καλούμενος Βαρσαββᾶς καὶ ὁ Ματθίας. Τότε ἔβαλαν κλῆρο, καὶ δίνοντας σὲ ὅλους ἐμᾶς παράδειγμα ἐναπόθεσης κάθε ἐκλογῆς μας στὸ Θεό, προσευχήθηκαν ὅλοι μαζὶ ὡς ἑξῆς:

«Σὺ Κύριε, καρδιογνῶστα πάντων, ἀνάδειξαν ὂν ἐξελέξω ἐκ τούτων τῶν δύο ἕναν, λαβεῖν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης καὶ ἀποστολῆς». Δηλαδή: «Σὺ Κύριε, ποὺ γνωρίζεις τὶς καρδιὲς ὅλων, φανέρωσε καθαρὰ ἐκεῖνον ποὺ ἐξέλεξες, ἕναν ἀπὸ αὐτοὺς τοὺς δύο, γιὰ νὰ ἐπωμισθεῖ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς ἀποστολικῆς διακονίας».
Στὴν συνέχεια ὁ κλῆρος ἔπεσε στὸ Ματθία. Καὶ ἔτσι προστέθηκε στοὺς ἕντεκα Ἀποστόλους. Ἀπὸ τὴ μετέπειτα ζωὴ τοῦ Ματθία, γνωρίζουμε ὅτι κήρυξε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιο στὴν Αἰθιοπία, ὅπου καὶ τελείωσε τὴ ζωή του μαρτυρικά.

Ἀπολυτίκιο. Ἦχος γ’. Θείας πίστεως.
Θείῳ Πνεύματι, κεκληρωμένος, συνεπλήρωσας, τῶν Ἀποστόλων, τὴν δωδεκάριθμον φάλαγγα ἔνδοξε· μεθ’ ὧν κηρύξας τοῦ Λόγου τὴν κένωσιν, ἐθαυμαστώθης Ματθία Ἀπόστολε. Ἀλλὰ πρέσβευε, δοθήναι τοῖς σὲ γεραίρουσι, πταισμάτων ἱλασμὸν καὶ μέγα ἔλεος.

Κοντάκιον. Ἦχος δ’. Ἐπεφάνης σήμερον.
Φωταυγὴς ὡς ἥλιος εἰς πάντα κόσμον, ἐξελθὼν ὁ φθόγγος σου, καταφωτίζει τῶν ἐθνῶν, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐν χάριτι, θαυματοφόρε Ματθία Ἀπόστολε.

Μεγαλυνάριον.
Τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑφηγητήν, καὶ τῆς Δωδεκάδος, τὸ συμπλήρωμα τῆς κλητῆς, ὕμνοις σε τιμῶμεν, Ἀπόστολε Ματθία, ὡς ἄριστον μεσίτην, ἠμῶν πρὸς Κύριον.

The Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of St Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). 

When the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, St Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord „sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). 

After the Ascension of the Savior, St Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by St Andrew the First-Called. 

The Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, St Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. 

Once, pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. When St Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. Another time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. 

The Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. 

The Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. 

The impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. Using the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. 

When St Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63.