Author: Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today is World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. It is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to reflect on our own baptism, when we received the gift of faith, and recommit ourselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.

Pope Francis explains the theme of this year’s World Mission Sunday in these words: “The theme I have chosen for this year’s World Mission Day is taken from the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet (cf. Mt 22:1-14). After the guests refused his invitation, the king, the main character in the story, tells his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find” (v. 9). Reflecting on this key passage in the context of the parable and of Jesus’ own life, we can discern several important aspects of evangelization. These appear particularly timely for all of us, as missionary disciples of Christ, during this final stage of the synodal journey that, in the words of its motto, “Communion, Participation, Mission”, seeks to refocus the Church on her primary task, which is the preaching of the Gospel in today’s world.”

Pope Saint John Paul II has also spoken of the Propagation of the Faith’s General Fund of support: “The offerings that will be collected [on World Mission Sunday] are destined for a common fund of solidarity distributed, in the Pope’s name, by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith among the missions and missionaries of the entire world.”

I have shared with you my own life as a missionary in the State of Nagaland, in the remote north-eastern part of India for many years. Every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions grow. The missionaries – priests, religious men and women, lay men and women missionaries – continue to give themselves in many countries, especially in the remote areas where poor people live. Our own parishioner, Sr. Mary Vertucci, a Maryknoll missionary, is a prime example of such a committed missionary who is working tirelessly for the good of the poor girls through the Emusoi Center in Tanzania which we support as a parish.

Many adult conversions are taking place in the missions, new dioceses are formed, new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ’s call to follow Him as priests, areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church. That is why the involvement and commitment of Catholics from around the world is so urgently needed. Offerings from Catholics in the United States, on World Mission Sunday and throughout the year, are combined with offerings to the Propagation of the Faith worldwide.

Please read, in today’s bulletin or on our parish website, the letter of our Bishop James Checchio, explaining the importance of this Day. And let us not forget that we can and need to be missionaries to our own people right here. One very easy way to do that is to practice the theme that Pope Francis has set: “Go and invite” others to the Banquet of the Lord. Why not give a simple invitation to our family members or friends to worship with us?

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday I wrote about October as the Respect Life month. It is also the month of the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily because the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7. Mary is said to have appeared to St. Dominic in 1206 after he had been praying and doing severe penances because of his lack of success in combating the Albigensian heresy. Mary praised him for his valiant fight against the heretics and then gave him the Rosary as a mighty weapon, explained its uses and efficacy, and told him to preach it to others.

Recently I had the privilege of joining about 50 Catholics from various parishes, including ours, to go on a pilgrimage to Ireland, Scotland and the UK. Among the many shrines, basilicas, castles, ancient monuments and museums we visited, two Marian shrines stood out for me: the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland and the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in the UK.

The Story of Knock in East Mayo began on the 21st August 1879 when Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of Knock Parish Church. Many men and women, whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five, witnessed what they claimed was an apparition of Our Lady, St Joseph, and St John the Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish church. Behind them and a little to the left of St John was a plain altar. On the altar was a cross and a lamb (a traditional image of Jesus, as reflected in the religious phrase The Lamb of God) with adoring angels.

The guide explained to us that there was no message given by Mary. She just stood there in front of the altar and lamb with her hands folded. But in her silence she said so much. Like any child knows, a mother’s silence is powerful. Our Lady of Knock does the same thing; she does not say a word because our focus is not meant to be on her, our focus is meant to be on what is behind her: the lamb (symbol of Jesus) and the altar. Mary’s whole life and mission is to bring us closer to her son.

This tells us that the Rosary is not so much about Mary as it is about her Son Jesus. Rosary is Christo-centric! Her only desire and command all is: “Do what he tells you” (John 2:5) We need to open the gospels to understand what he tells us. The FALL INTO FAITH small faith sharing groups are the best opportunity for us to understand His Word better (see page 4). As you hear the witness stories of those who have benefitted from these groups, I urge you to consider signing up for this wonderful experience. It is not a long-term commitment – just six times during this Fall season.

The resource we are using is paid for by the parish for the participants, We need to know how many will participate in this faith-enhancing opportunity as we are contracting with a Catholic publishing company. If you are part of an already existing group, kindly let your group leader know if you intent to do it this time – I hope you will. If you are a first-timer, please contact Debbie Schurko, our DRE, at dschurko@stmatthias.net How I wish more of you will utilize this beautiful chance to grow more into His Word!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

A Message From Fr. Lancelot

Dear Friends,

In his book “True Self, False Self,” Basil Pennington presents us with one of the greatest tasks of our lives: coming to a true knowledge of ourselves. While we often define ourselves by our achievements or the successes of our families, it is far more difficult to understand our true selves—who we are at the core, beyond the superficial layers of identity.

Throughout literature, we find characters wrestling with their identity,

1. 1. Shakespeare’s Hamlet laments:

                 “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties… and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

1. 2. In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Estella admits:

                 “I am what you have made me.”

1. 3. Elizabeth Gilbert, in her memoir Eat, Pray, Love, describes her personal crisis:

“I don’t know how to be here. I don’t know how to live in this world anymore.” This is a striking confession of her disorientation, as she embarks on a journey to reconnect with herself, realizing that she has lost touch with who she truly is.

This past weekend’s Gospel also challenges us to reflect on our knowledge of Jesus, which is intrinsically linked to our self-awareness. Jesus was often misunderstood—even by His closest followers. When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus responded:

“Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” (John 14:9).

Jesus’ Confrontation of Our False Self:

Jesus continually confronts us, urging us to move beyond the false self—the self that is preoccupied with personal gain, security, and social image. His teachings challenge our assumptions about life and force us to confront deeper truths:

Self-Centeredness:

Jesus challenges us to break free from a life centered on self interest. The false self-thrives on selfish ambition, but Jesus calls us to love others, sacrifice, and live for a higher purpose.

A Personal Reflection:

As I reflect on these lessons, I am confronted by the reality that, while there are many tasks to accomplish during our time on earth, one of the most essential is to come to know both God and ourselves. Personally, I would be deeply saddened to reach the end of my life only to realize that I had lived more for myself and my needs than in my relationship with God. To miss this opportunity for deeper connection and true self-awareness would be a great loss.

St. Augustine’s “Late have I loved you, O Lord, late have I loved you. You were within me, but I was outside.”

 

Fr. Lance

 

 

Dear Friends,

What do you think of the new screen in our church? Thank you to those of you who approached me or Fr. Lancelot, and shared your joyful approval and positive feedbacks about it – far from the doubts and concerns some had before seeing it. It was a labor of love – extended over four years of deliberations, fundraising, planning, checking with other parishes with similar media projects, choosing a company that would give us the best service, and spending so many hours in meetings, consultations, revisions, re-scheduling,  and so on and so forth. Thanks be to God that it has already made a big difference in the participation of the congregation to pray and sing – as many of you commented – due to the clarity of the letters on the screen which can be seen from all angles as well as all the way back. The livestream of the Mass has excellent clarity of the video and sound for those who are watching online. This is an asset for the parish not only for enhancing our liturgy but also for faith formation, sacramental prep and other events.

In the contest of enhancing our liturgical experience, I wish to share with you that Joan Seamon, our music director, and I have been getting some letters about our music. The good news is that these letters were not concerned about the quality of music or singing during Mass. They were appreciative of our music ministers and the quality of their singing. The concern was regarding the desire to have some quiet time to pray in the church before the Mass.

The rehearsal before Mass is a common practice in many parishes – though where the rehearsal takes place varies. But, the unique situation of our church is that the position of the choir is directly facing the congregation which is perfectly fine during Mass. Yet, during the rehearsal, the choir is, as one put it, “in your face”, making it very distracting for people who want to pray. During rehearsal, it is only human and natural to have some small talk, fun, laughter, etc, all of which are watched by the congregation and it is not surprising that those who want to concentrate in prayer/meditation/silence are unable to do so.

More letters began to come in the recent months from parishioners as well as visitors (some anonymous, few with names) – all of which I have shared with Joan Seamon. Some parishioners talked to me in person on this matter. Some wanted me to send the choir back to the loft – which I flatly refused stating that it would not happen during my pastorate. That was one of the reasons I spoke at all the four Masses of one weekend last month (and two Masses previous to that) about why we are a Eucharistic community where the people are surrounding the altar and sanctuary, and that I was not interested in changing the layout of our church. I also discussed these matters with all our deacons and Fr. Lancelot.

After all these months of prayerful reflection, consultations, and listening, my own discernment is that the desire for some quiet time in the church before Mass is not only genuine but is also required by the Church. The General Instruction for the Roman Missal says that there should be a quiet opportunity in the church for the faithful to prepare prayerfully for the Holy Mass (GIRM, no. 45). We have to admit humbly that we have not been practicing this in our church. Considering all these, I have asked Joan to create that time of sacred silence by not having the practice in the church from now on. I understand it will bring some unhappiness and inconvenience. But such sacrifice by a few is for the greater good of our larger community. We are very proud and grateful that we have the best church music in our diocese and beyond. Thank you Joan and all the Music Ministers.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

September 8 is a very important day in the Marian calendar and for Marian devotion. It is the birthday of our Blessed Mother Mary. This feast day is celebrated exactly nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. However, this year, September 8 falls on a Sunday and so Mary’s birthday is not even mentioned in the Ordo, the liturgical calendar of the Church. Even though September 8 is not a Holy Day of Obligation, many Marian devotees may be confused or even upset about this glaring omission. How is this possible? Is this not an affront or disrespect to Mary? Not at all. Why not? The reason is simple: Sunday is the Day of the Lord and it will have precedence over the feast of any other saint, even that of Mary. There can be exceptions, for instance, when the feast of the patron saint of a parish is to be celebrated on a Sunday.

In this context, it is good for us to know of a beautiful Apostolic Exhortation that Pope Saint Paul VI wrote in 1974 titled Marialis Cultus, (The Cult of Mary). It is a short but excellent writing on Mary. In the face of excessive pious practices and non-Biblical devotion to Mary, the Pope wanted us have a true Marian spirituality and appreciate the right place of Mary in the life of the Church. The Marian devotions should not be an end in themselves, but should clearly lead us to the mystery of Christ. Hence when a Mass is celebrated to honor Mary, the key point is that Mary is present always to glorify and to magnify the Lord. Mary never seeks her honor and glory but to glorify Jesus. Our Lady proclaimed so eloquently in her Canticle of praise—the Magnificat—these words: “My soul does magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior….” (Lk 1:46-47)

Paul VI insisted that a true Marian devotion should include at least three indispensable elements: Christocentric, Biblical, and Ecclesial. The document called for the need to correct some doctrinal deviations, in some popular presentations of Mary, in the light of the Scriptures and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This was very important to Catholic Church’s sensitivity to the perception of different Christian denominations who base themselves only on the Bible for their beliefs and practices, including their understanding of Mary’s role. Marialis Cultus no.32 reveals the concern for the restoration of Christian unity in the ecumenical environment, with the document identifying some common understandings of the mystery of Mary with the Orthodox Christians, the Anglicans and the Reformed Churches.

Today’s gospel has Jesus healing a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Jesus takes the man aside from the crowd. Being away from the bustling noise of the crowd is very significant. Blaring voices can hinder us from hearing the voice of God. We can truly listen to God only when we create a space for silent listening. That is what Mary did as Luke testifies: And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart – Luke 2:19. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart – Luke 2:51. Happy Birthday to our Blessed Mother Mary!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal