Author: Nathalie Godet

GivingTuesday 2022

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

On GivingTuesday 2022 — Tuesday, November 29, 2022 —

Thank you to our amazing community for their generosity and support during Giving Tuesday. We appreciate you! For anyone who would still like to give, it’s not too late. Every donation — no matter how small — helps!

St. Matthias continued two GivingTuesday campaigns this year:

The church’s campaign has two goals: 1) To raise funds for monitors and equipment to project text and videos inside the church, and 2) To raise funds to purchase and install permanent live-streaming equipment so we can continue to livestream our Masses and other services to spiritually connect our entire community, especially our homebound parishioners and family members and friends unable to participate in-person. Please join us November 29th as we continue the second part of last year’s Giving Tuesday campaign: Spiritual Tech Connect. We hope to reach our goal of $13,748, so we can set up the new media for a better liturgical experience in person and online.

Donate in one of two ways:

  • By check: please make the check payable to “St. Matthias Church” and write “Church Giving Tuesday” in the memo line.
  • Via Parish Giving by clicking on Give Now (or log in if you have an account), click on Fundraising, then select: Restricted Gifts-Church-Giv Tue

Does your employer offer a matching gift? If so, please let them know of your donation!

Questions? Contact Mary Jo Loboda at mjloboda@stmatthias.net.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! Yes, Thanksgiving Thursday is at the door! We are entering a festive season. With the unusual temperature variations this month, Thanksgiving brings lots of joy and fun with good family fellowship. The spirit of giving and sharing is around us. Beginning Thanksgiving Day, November 24th, you will see our St. Matthias Giving Tree project with traditional as well as online methods of giving to the needy. Our St. Vincent de Paul Society and our Youth group SMYLE Youth group have already collected food for the Franklin Food Bank.

In the rush for consumerism soon after Thanksgiving Day, (with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc), it is heartening to see how “Giving Tuesday” – a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration – is becoming more popular. Giving Tuesday celebrates the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Last year our School and the Parish, had two separate but ambitious goals for Giving Tuesday. The Church promoted the “Spiritual Tech Connect” campaign for updating our media capability and reached half the goal. We will continue Part Two of the same goal so that we can complete that project this year and enhance the worship experience with the help of the media. The goal of our School is also to continue the modernization of student furniture and common spaces as well as to expand our new reading and writing programs to the upper grades. See page 7 for more details.

When we recognize that God is the one who has been blessing us and preserving us in this life, our thanksgiving should be directed primarily to this loving God. So why not begin the Thanksgiving Day with the Holy Eucharist? Most welcome to join our 8 am Mass this Thursday and then we will feel the touch of God as we get busy into the hectic pace of Thanksgiving activities. Here’s a nice prayer we all can use for Thanksgiving:

“We thank and praise You, our Heavenly Father, for establishing and preserving our nation in freedom, for giving us a rich land in which to dwell, and for providing us with an abundance of the fruits of the earth. In order that we might live in peace and be good stewards of all that You provide, grant us Your grace to recognize Your gifts and to live as good citizens. We thank You for Your great love in sending Your Son Jesus to be our Savior, and in calling us out of our rebellion into fellowship with Him. We give You thanks that You have done this apart from any worthiness in us.

Forgive us for those times when we grew complacent and took Your gifts for granted. You are the source of all good, and we thank you for the simple things that bring us joy. We thank you not only for the good times, but also for those times of uncertainty and anxiety because they have deepened our faith in you. Thank you for bringing good out of what we considered as tragedies in our lives. Bless the food that we are sharing. May we have a good time with all. Renew our spirits and fill our hearts with your peace and joy so that we will live in true fellowship with everyone in our families and in our communities, and share with those in need. We surrender our prayers of thanksgiving and all our needs, desires and dreams into your hands through the prayer Jesus taught us, Our Father …. “

 

A blessed time of Thanksgiving to you with your family and all your dear ones.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

The Four Last Things or Five

The month of November ushers in many changes in nature and in the church. The leaves have changed to bright reds, oranges, browns and yellow. Soon all those leaves will drop and as Shakespeare said the trees will become like “Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang”. All nature seems to die or at least fall asleep.

In the church November begins with the celebration of All Saints and All Souls, reminding us of our destiny and of what has traditionally been called ‘ The Four Last Things ‘, death, judgment, heaven, and hell. And for good measure the fifth is Purgatory. The scripture readings the church gives us in this season for our liturgy have a constant reminder about these important things. There is a sense of urgency about remembering them. The 32nd and 33rd Sundays of the year especially emphasize death and resurrection. The prophet Malachi gets our attention when he writes, “Lo the day is coming blazing like an oven, when all the proud and evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of Hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays. ”Malachi 3:19. Death is certain for every person. We are reminded to live with this awareness.

The teaching of the church about the Last Things is spelled out clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. On the subject of judgment, we read “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven -through a purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation. ”(CCC 1022)

Regarding heaven we read, “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God forever, for they ‘see him as he is’, face to face” (CCC 1023)

Today there are some who question whether the church still teaches about Purgatory and perhaps even some who question the existence of Hell. Here is what the Catechism teaches “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031)

The fourth Last Thing is Hell and again the Catechism does not mince words: “We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves ……to die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called ‘Hell’. (CCC 1033)

Death, judgment, heaven and hell and purgatory are all real. The church reminds us in the liturgy during November not to become complacent. As we watch the ‘death ‘of nature all around us and end the liturgical year November 20th with the celebration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we hear the call to be awake and vigilant at all times so that we are always ready for the coming of the Day of the Lord and the Four Last Things.

Msgr. Brennan

Trail of Faith

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

The “Trail of Faith” provides a new opportunity to appreciate nature on the grounds of Saint Matthias Parish. The Trail is approximately 1/3 of a mile long. It starts in the back parking lot between the northeast corner of the playground and the dumpster enclosure. It travels through wooded areas and fields behind the parish. The trail was planned and built by Parishioner Dalton Vassanella for his Eagle Scout Project.

Dalton is a member of Scout Troop 154, which is sponsored by St. Matthias Parish. Several Scouts and Adult Leaders from Troop 154 helped him with the construction of the Trail. The inspiration for the trail came to Dalton one Sunday after Mass as he was walking the Parish grounds reflecting on his experiences as a student at St. Matthias School. His goal was to come up with a project that would allow others to enjoy the natural beauty of God’s creations as part of their ongoing spiritual journeys. The Trail is dedicated to the many teachers and staff that have devoted decades of their lives to educating thousands of St. Matthias students.

The trail was built to provide parishioners a place to reflect on their relationship with God, deepen their spirituality, and pray or meditate, all while surrounded by nature. It was also built to be utilized by Saint Matthias School. Teachers can take their students on the trail to learn more about natural sciences and students can see firsthand different types of soil, trees, plants, birds, animals, and other elements of the ecosystem, in this “outdoor classroom”.

Scattered along the trail are a dozen signs. Each sign states one of 12 points that comprise the Scout Law, along with a corresponding Bible quote. When they walk the trail, parishioners, staff, and students are encouraged to ponder the Bible passages, or simply use each sign as a place to stop and reflect upon the beauty of God’s creations.

When walking the trail please stay on the path marked by the green trail markers, at all times. Also, please wear appropriate footwear and be aware of your surroundings. All children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian, when walking on the “Trail of Faith”.

Anyone interested in learning more about Scout Troop 154 please contact: Scoutmaster, Mr. Paul Furnell; (732) 799 9956. info@troop154nj.com

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

This Friday, November 11, is Veterans Day – an occasion to remind ourselves of the importance to honor all those who have risked life, limb, and mind for their country because freedom isn’t free. While joining the rest of the nation in commemorating this day typically with military-themed ceremonies, we bring all of these heroes and heroines in prayer to God at all the Masses next weekend.

Last Sunday evening, we had a special Mass in memory of all those who passed away this year. We had about 75 names that were read out. A small candle was lit for each of them. Family members brought pictures of their beloved departed and you can see them on the back walls of the church. We acknowledge the sadness of their no longer being physically amongst us, and yet take hope and trust as our faith teaches. At every funeral Mass I love to use the Preface I where it says: “Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.” St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, “even as others who have no hope … For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven … and the dead who are in Christ shall rise.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

On All Souls Day, November 2, we prayed for all the departed souls. We know that the whole month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers those who have died. It is related to the fact that the end of November is the end of the Liturgical Year with a new year starting the First Sunday of Advent – the four-week period of preparation before Christmas.

The mention of Christmas reminds us how fast the time passes. In the liturgical calendar the first Sunday of Advent this year is on November 27 – earlier than usual! If you find that time is moving too quickly, and you’d like to slow it down a bit, I find the only way is to follow the method that Jesus is asking us in the beatitudes. He begins each beatitude with “Blessed are you…….” and not “Blessed you will be….” I believe Jesus was very intentional in directing us to be in the present moment. Probably you have heard this saying repeated to us: “Yesterday is history tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift that’s why we call it the present!” We have only the present moment at hand and how we deal with it will determine not only our joy and sadness but also the pace of our life. Once we live in the moment, we will be able to take one thing at a time, one day at time. No wonder Jesus included “Give us this day our daily bread” in the only prayer he taught us to pray!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Cookbooks for Christmas!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Looking for that perfect gift for the person who has everything? Need a hostess gift? Bridal Shower? New Home? For that extra gift for the unexpected recipient?

Then pick up a 60th Anniversary Cookbook for only $20!!  They will be on sale at the St. Matthias’ parish office, the 60th Anniversary Concert on November 18, 2022, and at the SMS Craft Fair on December 4, 2022!  If you haven’t picked up your pre-ordered book, you can also do that at these events!!  Don’t miss out on the delicious recipes!!