Author: Nathalie Godet

Come and See!

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

This coming Friday, June 7th, on the Solemnity of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate World Day for the Sanctification of Priests. Established by Pope John Paul II, this day is dedicated to fostering the spiritual renewal and holiness of Catholic priests. It underscores the essential role of priests in the Church and the need for their ongoing personal and spiritual development.

On this special day, our priests are encouraged to reflect on the importance and dignity of their vocation. All of us are invited to support our priests through prayer and expressions of gratitude for their service and sacrifices. We pray for Father Abraham’s and Father Lancelot’s spiritual well-being as we ask God to grant them the strength, courage, and wisdom needed to fulfill their priestly duties.

Related to The World Day for the Sanctification of Priests is our upcoming Morning of Prayer for Vocations to the Ordained & Consecrated Life to be held on Saturday, June 8th from 9:30 to Noon in the John XXIII room here at St. Matthias.  All are welcome! Please join us as we pray for our priests – current and future!

Until then we can pray: O Jesus, eternal High Priest, who, in your incomparable love for humanity, allowed Catholic priesthood to issue from your sacred heart, continue to pour out on your priests the life-giving streams of your infinite love. Live and act in them so that they may perform in your name and by the strength of your Spirit the works which you have accomplished for the salvation of this world.

For more information on the St. Matthias Vocations Ministry feel free to email Joe Percoco at percoco@rutgers.edu

 

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – the very presence of Christ that we are fortunate to have each time we gather to celebrate Mass. ‘Corpus Christi’ is the more popular Latin name, meaning the Body of Christ. We receive the Body of Christ in Holy Communion. That’s why we bow our heads and say Amen to the words of the Communion Minister: “The Body of Christ.” But receiving this body of Christ will not be meaningful unless we love and respect the larger body of Christ – the people of God, who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

This week has been very special for one group of this Body of Christ in our parish: our 8th Grade students who just had their graduation on Friday. It was an exciting day for them and their families as well as for the teachers and administration. In my message in the 2024 St. Matthias School Year Book, after my words of appreciation to Mrs. Mary Lynch, our Principal, all our teachers, staff, and most of all, parents and families who have guided them along the way, I wrote this to the students:

My dear Graduating Class,

 While blessings and congratulations will be showered upon you, the question I wish to ask you is this: Are you prepared to face the challenges of life as you move on from our loving, protective and nurturing environment of St. Matthias? The challenges that teens face are many: anxiety, stress, depression, social media, bullying, cyber bullying, eating disorders, peer pressure, desensitization to violence, low motivation, temptation to drug, alcohol etc. It is only when you make the right choices, you will experience success, fulfillment and happiness, giving you good health in mind, body and soul.

We have tried our best to inculcate in you the values of discipleship in Christ Jesus to help you make the right choices. The regular sight of Fr. Lancelot McGrath in the school has given a much needed priestly presence both to the faculty and students. Attending Mass on a regular basis, holding prayer services on important occasions, highlighting the daily practice of prayer and other practices have given you a good spiritual foundation that should be of great help in dealing with difficult times ahead.

 Be assured of our love, prayers and support, for “You are the Body of Christ,” as the Year Book theme reminds us. Do continue your friendship with Jesus and your association with this faith community of St. Matthias. Remember this message from the Bible: “Be strong! Be fearless! Don’t be afraid and don’t be scared by your enemies, because the Lord your God is the one who marches with you. He won’t let you down, and he won’t abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

As St. Matthias School is part and parcel of the Catholic Community of St. Matthias, I wish to thank the entire parish community for the constant support and encouragement to the school. Without your generous financial support, it would have been very difficult to run our school that has received lots of awards both as an institution and as individual students. God bless our parish and our school.

 

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

We have been hearing a lot about the National Eucharistic Revival during the past three years, with its national phase, diocesan phase, and the parish phase. In our parish, we have done many events, practices, and devotions – thanks to our enthusiastic Eucharistic Revival Committee. Among those, our weekly Monday adoration is of special importance as so many of our parishioners continue to come on a regular basis to spend half an hour or more in silent prayer and communication with Jesus present in the Eucharist every Monday between 6-8 pm.

The concluding celebration of the National Eucharistic Revival will be in Indianapolis where the 10th Eucharistic Congress will be held from July 17 – 21. This is the First US National Eucharistic Congress in 83 Years. This is a pivotal moment in both American history and the legacy of the Catholic Church. In preparation for this Eucharistic Congress a walking pilgrimage is already on the way to Indianapolis. While pilgrimages have a long legacy within the Church, this is the first undertaken at such a scale – walking coast-to-coast with Our Eucharistic Lord, with four routes from the north, east, south, and west of our country:

  • Marian Route (North) starting from: Mississippi Headwaters, Lake Itasca, MN
  • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route (East) starting from: New Haven, CT
  • St. Juan Diego Route (South) starting from: Brownsville, TX
  • St. Junipero Serra Route (West) starting from: San Francisco, CA

Pilgrims on our route, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route, began walking on May 18 with Pentecost Vigil at the tomb of Blessed Fr. Michael McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut. The Seton Route will be punctuated by many meaningful stops. Pilgrims will visit holy sites, embrace the sacraments daily, and publicly proclaim Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist as they accompany him on his way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

Even though we may not be able to walk this pilgrimage or to attend the Eucharistic Congress, we are invited to join this National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for short distances or join for one of the many events scheduled along the way.

We are privileged that the Seton Route will pass through our Diocese of Metuchen this week, on May 27-28, 2024. During these two days, the Diocese of Metuchen will welcome the National Eucharistic ‘Perpetual Pilgrims’ (the few young adults who will make the full journey to Indianapolis are called the ‘Perpetual Pilgrims.’) as they process from the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi to St. Peter the Apostle University and Community Parish, New Brunswick, and St. Augustine of Canterbury in Kendall Park.  We are invited and encouraged to eat, pray, and walk with them as they witness to the world that Jesus is here, present in the most Blessed Sacrament, and that he accompanies us -all of us – on our pilgrimage of our individual lives.

Next Sunday is the solemn feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – more popularly known as ‘Corpus Christi.’ Here at St. Matthias, we plan to continue our beautiful tradition of the Eucharistic Procession around our campus after the 5 pm Mass on Saturday. All are welcome to join this prayerful devotion.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Pentecost Sunday

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today we join the rest of the Christian world to celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Most Christians –  Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches as well as most Protestant churches – view this as the watershed event in Christianity, the birthday of the Church in many ways. The Acts of the Apostles recounts the story of the original Pentecost when the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who were gathered in the Upper Room, were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in different tongues (Acts 2). Peter’s speech that day brought about three thousand people to the way of Jesus. (Acts 2:41). And the Church began to grow.

Pentecost is the New Testament celebration of unity that reverses the Old Testament divisions and animosity of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. If the people who wanted to build the Tower of Babel were divided by language and race because of pride and arrogance, people on the Pentecost Day were united despite the diversity of language and race. Thus Pentecost is a feast that invites us to live and promote unity in diversity. Our parish of St. Matthias is a living proof of this diversity while keeping our unity in faith and fellowship.

When 44 youth of our parish received the Sacrament of Confirmation two weeks ago, Bishop Checchio reminded everyone present that the Holy Spirit can transform us into bold witnesses of the gospel. For that to happen, he encouraged all, especially the Confirmandi, to attend the church on a regular basis. During his homily, he asked me a question: “Fr. Abraham, if I give you $168 and ask you to return to me just $1, will you accept my offer?” I said yes. And then he told the congregation that God has given us all 168 hours every week for our use and God is asking us to return to God just one hour out of those 168 hours. Spending that one hour in Church every Sunday will have great benefits for us both spiritually and mentally. (Btw, the Bishop still owes me that $168 ☺)

Today’s feast of Pentecost often falls in the month of May, which is the month of Our Lady. Pope Francis encourages us to be praying her special prayer – the Rosary – every day. Considering that May is also the Mental Health Awareness month, we should be expressing with particular zeal our petitions for help and our confidence in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that we can experience more peace of mind. Our own young people are inviting all to join the SmyleWithBraces Next Level team and SMYLE Youth Ministry to pray the rosary following the 10:00 Mass this Sunday.

May we all be open to the Holy Spirit who Jesus sends to be our Helper, Comforter and Guide (John 14:16) Let us call upon this Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit, come into my heart and fill me with your grace and power.” Repeat it like a mantra and see what happens to you!

Happy Pentecost!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

The Ascension of the Lord

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

There are three important celebrations calling for our attention and reflection this week.

First, Happy Feast of the Ascension of the Lord! Biblically, Ascension took place 40 days after the Resurrection and so the actual Ascension Day falls on a Thursday – which is what we used to celebrate. But last year, the bishops of New Jersey decided to permanently transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension to the following Sunday. The bishops’ discernment to have the Ascension on a Sunday is very welcome for more of the faithful to participate in this feast and to be more conscious of the mission Jesus gave before ascending to heaven: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation…” (Mark16:15). To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer.  There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming.  We preach with words but we proclaim with our lives.  We do this when we learn about Jesus and his teachings by our daily study of the Bible and the teachings of the Church, experience him in personal prayer, reception of the Sacraments and works of charity, and convey to others Jesus whom we have experienced with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Second, Happy Mother’s Day! We salute all our Mothers today! The opening sentence of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, offers the perfect context for Mother’s Day: “The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church.” We are truly happy to celebrate the vocation to motherhood as we honor all Mothers of our parish this weekend.  The Pope beautifully describes the impact Mothers have on children: “A mother who watches over her child with tenderness and compassion helps him or her to grow in confidence and to experience that the world is a good and welcoming place. This helps the child to grow in self-esteem and, in turn, to develop a capacity for intimacy and empathy.” Thank you dear mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, single mothers, and spiritual mothers for living out your vocation, this divine call, despite the overwhelming challenges to be a mother in our times.

Third, happy feast to us all on the feast of our own parish patron, St. Matthias – on May 14. The name ‘Matthias,’ similar to Matthew, means “gift of God.”. The Acts of the Apostles describes the process of choosing Matthias to replace Judas: “it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22) Since there were two candidates fitting these conditions, the Apostles “cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:26). According to various traditions, Matthias preached in Cappadocia, Jerusalem, the shores of the Caspian Sea (in modern day Turkey) and Ethiopia.  He is said to have met his death by crucifixion in Colchis or by stoning in Jerusalem. We honor St. Matthias as someone who knew Jesus personally, and was a witness to the resurrection, meaning that Jesus wasn’t dead, but is very much alive. May our patron saint help us to increase our intimacy and friendship with Jesus.

Happy Feast of Ascension! Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Feast of St. Matthias!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Many of us will remember Pat Leposa who was our staff member, doing ministry as Spiritual Director for twenty-four years, bringing much peace to the many under her spiritual guidance for discerning God’s will in their lives. In 2020, she decided to retire, due to failing health, and moved out of New Jersey to be with her family. Here’s an excerpt from her farewell message to the parish which was published in the bulletin then:

“It was twenty-four years ago that I began my ministry here at St. Matthias as your Spiritual Director. Coming to know and love the good people of this faith community has been my privilege. Now, I am excited to be moving on to the next chapter of my life. Even as my heart is filled with the joy and purpose that the last twenty-four years has blessed me with, I am deeply saddened at the prospect of leaving St. Matthias. As I go on to join my family in Montana, I am grateful for the countless ways that you, my St. Matthias family, have enriched me and strengthened my faith. It is though the experience of Spiritual Direction that I have been blessed to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. I will miss you.

If you are moved to draw closer to the God who loves you, and to seek out a new perspective in your life, then I urge you to consider Spiritual Direction. Inspired by the Spirit, it is through your visits with your spiritual advisor that you will become more aware of the many ways that God works in your life. Your visits will open your eyes, and your heart to enable you to embrace His love. It will provide you with the spiritual perspective to celebrate God’s goodness, even as you meet the challenges in your life. This investment in your spiritual health can be a life-changing experience.”

All those who knew her, and those of us who worked with her in the parish office, were saddened to know that she passed away on December 30, 2023. She was an embodiment of gentleness, compassion, listening, understanding, care and prayerfulness. She touched countless lives through her service including opening her home to a refugee Vietnamese family, Cursillo Christian retreats, Kairos prison ministries, and Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer in Watchung, NJ, where she was the first retreatant! She was most fulfilled through her 38 years as a Mercy Associate with the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and the first layperson to be a member of the NJ Associate Leadership Team. Pat also contributed to a CD of spiritual songs called Tender Mercy to raise funds for Mercy ministries in New Jersey.

We had announced her passing away and prayed for her at all the weekend Masses here at St. Matthias. I had offered a Memorial Mass at the House of Prayer in Watchung last month where her family and friends gathered to pay her tributes. This Monday, the 8 am Mass is offered in her memory. We gladly welcome her son John and other family and friends who plan to be present for this Mass. (John told me that he is flying in from North Carolina to attend this Mass!) The Parish Community of St. Matthias remains ever grateful to God for the gift of life and ministry of Pat Leposa. May she continue to intercede for us from her heavenly abode.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

5th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

I wish to highlight two feasts we keep this week. Tomorrow, April 29, is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a very fascinating figure in church history for many reasons. When we realize that Christian theology has been largely shaped by men, her contribution to theology is very significant. No wonder that the Church not only canonized her but also declared her as one of the few women doctors of the church.

Catherine was a Dominican Tertiary, living in the 14th century in Siena, Italy.  The corruption in the church and in the society during her day caused her great distress.  She loved both but speaking truth to those in power was one of her great gifts.  Catherine was passionate for the reform of the church and did not hesitate to challenge the church and she did bring about reform in the church. How did she do it when she did not even have much formal education?

The answer is her deep mystical spirituality. She knew Jesus on a personal and intimate level. Her interior life was so aligned with the divine that she was able to speak the truth of God to anyone – no matter how high that person was in the ecclesiastical or political ladder. Thus she was bold enough to instruct popes and cardinals, as well as adjudicate quarrels among statesmen.

“No more simony, no more unbridled luxuries, no more dealers in blood, no more swindlers in what ought to be the temple of God,” St. Catherine wrote to Pope Urban. After meeting with Catherine in Florence, Pope Urban, in his pomp and worldliness, turned to his advisors in amazement. “This little woman confounds us,” he said. “For while we are afraid, she stands without fear, and by her persuasions, she gives us courage”. Catherine inspired confidence in the pope by reminding him of his vocation. When writing to Pope Gregory IX during the infamous Avignon crisis, she called him out on a private vow he had made to return the papacy to Rome.

These vignettes from her life show us her radical witnessing to the prophetic message of the Gospel. If you can read her biography, the details will amaze you. She is model to all of us and an honor to all women in particular.

This week we enter the month of May with the feast of “St Joseph, the Worker.” Human labor is one of the important means of achieving holiness. It was Pope Pius XII who instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955, in order to foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work, humankind both fulfills the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gen 2:15) and to be productive in their labors. Saint Joseph, the carpenter and foster father of Jesus, is but one example of the holiness of human labor. Without the spiritual element of work, we will succumb to its drudgery, and consider our labors as toil. But when we order our work to praise God, we experience, in some way, the joy and blessedness of labor which Adam experienced in the Garden of Eden.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

4th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ as the focus is on Jesus who has accorded that beautiful title of ‘Good Shepherd’ to himself. Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations when the Church throughout the world prays for and promotes vocations to priesthood and religious life. We have been doing this often. Our Parish Vocation Ministry has been promoting vocation as a call to holiness to which God has called everyone.

Even as we pray for more young people to answer the call to priesthood and religious life, we need to realize that shepherding is a vocation that is limited not only to priests, deacons, or religious men and women but also to parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors and others who guide, care for, nurture and lead those under their charge. Each of these shepherding roles has many challenges. Look at parenting for instance. Parenting is a divine call by which you become co-creators and sustainers of life with God. Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5) and the Bible is very clear about the responsibility of both father and mother in bringing up children with the right values. The Bible demands several things from Christian parents in their duty of parenting. Some of these are:

Availability – morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Involvement – interacting, discussing, thinking, and processing life together (Ephesians 6:4)

Teaching – the Scriptures and a biblical worldview (Psalm 78:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:10; Ephesians 6:4)

Training – helping a child to develop skills and discover his/her strengths (Proverbs 22:6) and spiritual gifts (Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12)

 Discipline – teaching the fear of the Lord, drawing the line consistently, lovingly, firmly (Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15-17)

Nurture – providing an environment of constant verbal support, freedom to fail, acceptance, affection, unconditional love (Titus 2:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 4:29-32; 5:1-2; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:8-9)

Modeling with Integrity – living what you say, being a model from which a child can learn by “catching” the essence of godly living (Deuteronomy 4:9, 15, 23; Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; Psalm 37:18, 37).

That is a tall order! What makes it all the more difficult is the hostile cultural environment in which Christian parents find themselves fighting to protect their children. Many of the cultural values clash with the values that parents want to instill in their children. Hence, we need to support, help, appreciate, and encourage all our parents, as we pray for more good priests, more good deacons, and more good consecrated men and women. For, as Saint John Paul II said: “Jesus has a specific task in life for each and every one of us. Each one of us is handpicked, called by name by Jesus! There is no one among us who does not have a divine vocation!”  Yes, a vocation to holiness is for all of us.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

3rd Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are now pretty familiar with the tradition of having a number of adults receiving one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) through our RCIA  (or OCIA, the new name that the Bishops have proposed). We had a total of eleven people receiving these at the Easter Vigil this year: Jason Olmedo-Hernandez, Phyllis Carbone, Gigi Fortuna-Clase, Beverly Gilliam, Norvin Gilliam, Maxwell Lumax, Claudia Roque, Chelsea Lopez, Amanda Fortuna Clase, Josh Lumax and Alexis Lumax. We congratulate these neophytes. Now, that is a word we don’t hear often. A “neophyte” (its Greek root means the newly planted) is a term used for those who have been initiated as full members of a religion like Christianity or Judaism or one who has joined a religious order. In our context, a neophyte is one who has been incorporated into the fullness of the life of the Church as the Body of Christ. Now these new members enter into the final phase of the RCIA process which is known as Mystagogy, which simply means learning about the mysteries. The RCIA instruction no.244 says: “This is a time for the community and the neophytes together to grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through meditation on the Gospel, sharing in the Eucharist, and doing the works of charity. ….” 

What is interesting is that the Church’s focus of the mystagogy is the Community into which these new members have been incorporated! It means that mystagogy is a time for us all to grow in understanding the paschal mystery. The entire purpose of the RCIA process is to lead the participants into a relationship of communion and intimacy with Jesus. As the community of St. Matthias, we are an important part of mystagogy.

Our RCIA process is coordinated by Anne-Marie Francis and Mary Frances Reavey with their teammates Gondee Tibay, Mercy Ekwere, Dee Christmas and Carmen Calvimontes.  They have been doing an amazing job every year as they guide these men and women in the ways of our faith. I wish to thank them sincerely for rising up to the challenges and carrying out this ministry of faith formation and evangelization of those who wish to be part of the community of faith in Jesus Christ. They are true models and torchbearers of faith.

Let us remember that we all are called to be models and torchbearers of Christian witness and experience to the neophytes as well as to all those we meet in our daily living. The Sunday Mass is key to a successful mystagogy because the three ways mentioned above – meditation on the Gospel and sharing in the Eucharist which leads us to the works of charity – are meant for the whole community’s full, conscious and active participation.

I have a request: you may know some adults who may not be baptized, or who are baptized but have not received Communion or Confirmation. Why not speak to them about receiving these Sacraments of Initiation? Why not invite them to join our next RCIA class? That is another sign of you becoming a witness to Jesus.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal