Author: Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

We are in the month of June dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that began in the 12th century, and gained popularity after Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s.  This month is an opportunity for us to deepen our devotion to Jesus Christ and reflect on His teachings through prayer, reflection, and acts of charity. One popular devotional practice is the daily recitation of the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This litany is a prayer of intercession that asks for the mercy, love, and protection of Jesus. Here at St. Matthias, we pray this Litany every First Friday of the month, during the Holy Hour after our 8 am Mass.

We all are familiar with the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Have you wondered why it has flames, thorns, a cross, and open wounds?

Flames: In the Gospel, Jesus says that He has come to set fire on the earth—the fire that He longs to set is the fire of divine love, the fire of the Holy Spirit, in each human heart. In Jesus’ first apparition to St. Margaret Mary, after revealing His Heart to her, he said to her, “My divine Heart is so passionately fond of the human race, and of you in particular, that it cannot keep back the pent-up flames of its burning charity any longer. They must burst out through you.”

Rays of Light: The Sacred Heart of Jesus is surrounded by rays of light, as if rays of light are emanating from it. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says He is the light of the world. Jesus brings the light of God’s love into the darkness of our sin and suffering, our fear and doubt.

Crown of Thorns: In one of His revelations to St. Margaret Mary, Jesus told her that the crown of thorns symbolizes our individual sins, which prick His heart.

The Cross: In the image of the Sacred Heart, the Cross stands atop the Sacred Heart, as if to say that the Heart of Jesus is what supports the Cross and what supports us when we have to bear a cross. It is the Divine Love that transforms the Cross into the most powerful act of redemption.

The Open Wound: After Jesus died on the cross, a soldier pierced His Heart with a lance and blood and water flow out—the mercy of God floods the world. The open wound in the image of the Sacred Heart shows us that the Heart of Jesus is always open to us, His mercy is always available to us, and He never closes His Heart to us.

Such insights from these symbols make us realize the infinite love of Jesus for us. Pope Francis has said that it is easier for us to believe in our own love for God than it is for us to believe in God’s love for us. In this month, the Church invites us to contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus and let ourselves be convinced of God’s passionate love for us. One prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we all can pray is: “Oh Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for You.” More and more people are attending our First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart on every month. If you have not experienced it, why not try it once?

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

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

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

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