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| St. John Chrysostom Icon Depicting Paul Speaking in John's ear |
From a homily on the Acts of the Apostles by Saint John
Chrysostom
"In those days, Peter stood
up in the midst of the disciples and said..." As the fiery spirit to whom
the flock was entrusted by Christ and as the leader in the band of the
apostles, Peter always took the initiative in speaking: "My brothers, we
must choose from among our number." He left the decision to the whole
body, at once augmenting the honor of those elected and avoiding any suspicion
of partiality.
Did not Peter then have the right
to make the choice himself? Certainly he had the right, but he did not want to
give the appearance of showing special favor to anyone. "And they
nominated two," we read, "Joseph, who was called Barsabbas and
surnamed Justus, and Matthias." He himself did not nominate them; all
present did. But it was he who brought the issue forward, pointing out that it
was not his own idea but had been suggested to him by a scriptural prophecy.
And they all prayed together,
saying: "You, Lord, know the hearts of men; make your choice known to us.
You, not we." Appropriately they said that he knew the hearts of men,
because the choice was to be made by him, not by others.
They spoke with such confidence,
because someone had to be appointed. They did not say "choose" but
"make known to us" the chosen one; "the one you choose,"
they said, fully aware that everything was being preordained by God.
from a homily on the Acts of the
Apostles by Saint John Chrysostom
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