Category: Fr. Abraham’s Weekly Column

4th Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

Yes, even though today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Christmas is getting close…and it is here in just two days… Although we can’t control its suddenness, and how our culture celebrates it, we can keep the spirit of Christmas in our own home by teaching our children the value of delayed gratification. Wait for the party, wait to open a present. Read the Christmas story as a family. Matthew and Luke are the Evangelists we can depend on for the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus. The first two chapters from each of these gospels are ideal for this purpose. Read at least one chapter each day starting today.

This Christmas is very special because the Jubilee Year (celebrated every 25 years) will begin on December 24, 2024 (Christmas Eve) and conclude on January 6, 2026 (Feast of the Epiphany). This was officially proclaimed by Pope Francis in his papal bull titled Spes Non Confundit  which means “Hope Does Not Disappoint”.

It is customary that holy doors will be designated to enter through during this Jubilee Year, first in Rome and then in each diocese throughout the world. Holy Doors of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope in Rome will be located at the four papal basilicas as well as at a prison. The first Holy Door will be opened by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica on this Christmas Eve to usher in the beginning of the Jubilee Year worldwide.

What is the significance? The Holy Doors are sacred portals. These doors are ceremonially opened during Jubilee Years, symbolizing the spiritual journey from sin to grace. For pilgrims, crossing these doors is a profound act of faith, offering an opportunity for renewal, forgiveness, and a deeper connection with the divine. The act of physically crossing the threshold signifies a renewal of faith and a desire for spiritual transformation. As Pope St. John Paul II stated, “To pass through that door means to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; it is to strengthen faith in him in order to live the new life which he has given us.”

Let us all enter the Jubilee Year of Hope. The Christmas story is truly a story of hope. May our Christmas be filled with the wonder of “Emmanuel” (Matthew.1:23: God-with-us). May His peace and joy illumine our hearts and our homes.

Christmas Blessings!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

3rd Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Today we light the third candle on our Advent wreath. For families keeping this Advent wreath ritual at home can use the prayer put in this bulletin. We are reminded of how we all need that light of Jesus Christ to dispel the darkness within us. Brighter the light, clearer the vision.

Today is called “Gaudete Sunday” because today’s Mass (in its Latin form),  began  with  the  opening   antiphon:   “Gaudete   in   Domino semper” –“Rejoice in the Lord always.” In the past, when Advent was a season of penance, the celebrant of the liturgy used to wear vestments with the penitential color of purple or violet.  In order to remind the people that they were preparing for the very joyful occasion of the birth of Jesus, the celebrant wore rose-colored vestments on the third Sunday.  (you may remember that we have a similar break–Laetare Sunday—in Lent).  Today we light the rose candle, and the priest may wear rose vestments, to express our joy in the coming of Jesus, our Savior.  The primary common theme running through today’s readings is joy as we keep busy or even anxious with the preparation required of us who await the rebirth of Jesus in our hearts and lives. The second common theme is that of bearing witness. The prophet Zephaniah in the first Reading, Isaiah in the Responsorial Psalm and St. Paul in the second reading – all exhort us to rejoice and be glad.

This does not mean all people are happy. Many of us may not realize that there is a lot of sadness behind a smiling face. Those who suffer anxiety or stress cover it up with a smile. I read what a young person in college wrote last year:

“I am no longer afraid to admit how I’ve struggled with my mental health over the past three years. I have dealt with both anxiety and depression, both of which are common among teens.

I had trouble opening up to others and getting the help I needed. Instead I would lock myself in my room because I felt so much comfort in the darkness. Everyone had different coping mechanisms for handling not just mental health, but life in general. One thing I learned from my experience with depression was the ability to cope with my feelings by expressing them. Writing poetry helped me the most.”

Mental illness is so common that it can easily be overlooked. The “Accompaniment Project,” about which our young people spoke during all the Masses last weekend, is precisely to address the reality of mental health that afflicts more people than we know. Our parish Youth ministry’s Steering Committee (Deacon John Radvanski, Sue Lenczewski, Keith Slyman, Denik Joseph, Pat Cullen, Mary Guardini, Iris Abraham, Carl Furtado and Abigail Joseph) has prepared a survey/questionnaire that you were asked to respond, see page 8 for access to the survey. Thank you for your good will to support this Accompaniment Project which is a grant-funded initiative of the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry  (NFCYM). We are happy and proud that our parish of St. Matthias is one of the 43 parishes chosen from 17,000 plus parishes nationwide. The goal is to actively support young people in their faith journey, being present with them and listen to their needs to ultimately guide them to a deeper relationship with Christ. As I thank our Youth Ministry leaders, I invite us all to support this very worthwhile cause.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

2nd Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Our “Spread the Light” is on! With our Christmas Trees lighting and Manger blessing this weekend, we are making our festival season more visible and charming. We are so very grateful to all those who happily sponsored the Christmas trees. They will be excited to see the names of their dear ones memorialized with a laminated plaque on each tree. As it happened last year, I’m sure that this year too we will see numerous people – parishioners and visitors alike – stopping by to enjoy the enchanting sight, especially at night, reminding all what these trees surrounding the manger symbolize: the love of God manifested at the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This huge project became a reality due to the hard work of so many. JoAnn Piagentini and Pat Cullen took the lead to make this a reality with their indefatigable spirit, hard work, and optimism. The parish staff, especially Vinnie Natale, Nathalie Godet, Mary Pat Burke-Grospin, Julio Montero, Anthony Baio, Sue Lenczewski, Joan Seamon, Amy Hanna and Kelly Counts contributed much to this project. Many volunteer groups like the Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts, youths from our parish, St. Joe’s and even from Seton Hall gave their time and energy on two Saturdays to set up and decorate them, enduring the cold and windy weather. We are glad that Patrick Gianotto from Franklin Electric is providing us with the electrical services. Numerous other volunteers – too many to name here – gave their time to make this happen. We were blessed to receive a substantial amount as seed money for this endeavor from Bill Gleason of the Gleason Funeral Home. In the name of the parish community, I am truly grateful to all people of good will who helped in one way or other with this wonderful project that lights up not only our church compound but also our hearts.

This year the annual feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary – December 8 – falls today. Since Sunday takes precedence over other feasts, this solemn feast is transferred to tomorrow. This dogma proclaims that our Blessed Mother was conceived without original sin. It refers to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother Anne, even though the gospel we hear at Mass this day is about the conception of Jesus. The relevance of this feast for us is to see in Mary an example of what God can do in a person and what we can do, if we put ourselves in God’s hands and at God’s service as Mary did. It will enable us to remain free from sin as much as humanly possible with God’s grace. I invite you to attend the 8 am Mass. Being a working day, it is understandable that many cannot attend. But when you come home from work, why not access our YouTube channel and join that Mass as the concluding act of this important day?

It is interesting to note that there are two more feasts of our Blessed Mother this week. On 10th is the feast of Our Lady of Loreto. According to tradition, the Holy House of Loreto is the birthplace of Mary, the home of the Holy Family, and the site of the Annunciation. Then we have the very poplar feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on 12th. This Catholic holiday honors Mary, Mexico’s patron saint who is also referred as the Lady of the Americas. Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego, a peasant, in 1531, is a powerful reminder that Mary – and the God who sent her – accept all peoples and that we are all God’s loving children.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

1st Sunday of Advent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This year Advent begins on December first, giving us a full four weeks to prepare for Christmas. Contrary to what we hear and see in the commercialized culture around us, Advent is a season of spiritual preparation – not of external decoration/shopping – for Christmas as the Jews longed for the Messiah. So the first question we need to ask ourselves is: how can we use these four weeks to prepare for a frenzy-free Christmas? Remember the visit of Jesus to the house of Martha and Mary in the gospel of Luke? Seeing the restlessness of Martha, Jesus told her: “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her” (10:41-42). Try repeating this Bible verse as if Jesus is addressing you, and it will truly help you focus on what is important during this busy season. One way to focus on the meaning of this holy season is to choose some Advent spiritual practices. Some examples:

Family Bible Quiz: It will be an excellent Advent practice to do a Bible Quiz or Bible Trivia with your family. Here are five simple Biblical questions connected with Advent/Christmas:

1.) What does Jesus’ other name, “Emmanuel” mean?

2) What was Joseph’s first reaction when he discovered that Mary was pregnant?

3.) Why did Joseph and Mary go to the city of David?

4) How much older was John the Baptist than Jesus?

5) Which angel appeared to Mary?

Making such questions part of your family dinner table conversation will certainly have a very meaningful impact at your home.

Family Advent Wreath: It is a common practice for families to light Advent wreath candles at home. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Others consider the lighting of the first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second symbolizes hope, the third joy and the fourth purity. Elsewhere in today’s bulletin there is a simple prayer that the family can do together while lighting the first candle on your Advent Family Wreath.

Follow the daily readings for Mass: Even though it is not possible for most people to attend the weekday Mass, everyone can read the daily scriptures and have a daily connection with the Word of God. You can easily access the daily readings from https://bible.usccb.org/

Follow our daily Mass from YouTube at night! It was very heartening for me to hear some parishioners tell me how they attend our daily Mass at night! Since they have to go to work in the morning, they access our live-streamed daily Mass at night from our St. Matthias Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/stmatthiassomersetnj. Jeff Beck who monitors the viewership of our live-streamed Masses, told me that there is a very significant increase in attendance after the updated media project with the new exceptionally clear screen.

Thus, let us enter into the spirit of Advent taking some concrete action plan for ourselves and for our family, so that we can experience a meaningful Christmas of the Lord touching us!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are entering the last week in “Ordinary Time” beginning with the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King. It is the signal that the Church’s calendar year is coming to an end and that we are about to start the new year! Thus, the First Sunday of the New Year in the Liturgical Calendar is next Sunday as we begin the season of Advent! It is good for us to know that today’s feast was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of people’s thinking and living and organizes life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations. May we all recognize this truth and continue our efforts to honor Jesus by living his values in our lives.

Our St. Matthias church door near the Tabernacle has been closed for over a year as part of the Eucharistic Revival. As we know, it was a reminder to keep the area around the Tabernacle as a sacred space. The innocent chitchats and socializing in that area have been reduced significantly. There is a greater sense of reverence shown to the Blessed Sacrament by those who pass by the Tabernacle. This Solemn Feast of Christ the King is an auspicious day to reopen that door so that we can enter/exit that way as before, while being more conscious of the need to continue the silence and reverence around the Tabernacle.

We are also entering the Thanksgiving Week! Some have asked me:

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday or a secular celebration? Although the secularism of our present culture may have turned the focus more to indulging in food, fun, games, and family gathering, we must not forget the history and the religious significance of this quintessential American holiday.

It is definitely a religious holiday rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of our country. So we need to pause to thank God. One lively song that has remained in my memory from my missionary seminary life is titled: Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One. It has these wonderful and uplifting words in one verse:

Are you ever burdened with a load of care/Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly/And you will be singing as the days go by.

Yes, we need to really take the time to be thankful for what we have been blessed with, especially for those simple things that we take for granted.

I invite you to begin the Thanksgiving Day by attending our special Mass to thank our loving God who is the source of all blessings. Welcome to join the 8 am Thanksgiving Day Mass this Thursday.

It is wonderful that many families have the tradition of not only saying a Thanksgiving prayer before meals, but also of going around the table and having each person say what they’re thankful for. In my observation, I’ve found that people most often neglect to mention material things. Instead, they say “family” or “friends.” This could be because Thanksgiving teaches us to appreciate the things we can’t buy — the important aspects of life. Yes, St. Paul is right: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater..” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Your brother in Christ

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Our parishioners doing the “Fall Into Faith” Bible sharing sessions are having a greater understanding of the Word of God while experiencing true fellowship with one another. Some of them asked me a question about the Synod on Synodality. Many of us may or may not be aware that the Synodal process has been going on for the past three years and that it concluded last month – on October 26 in Rome.

Pope Francis is very passionate about restoring the church as the people of God. He wants the church to be a communion and not a corporation. So he initiated one of the most consultative processes in Church history, when he called for the Synodal journey in 2021, asking all the Catholics around the world to send their input to him through their respective dioceses, to be discussed in the assembly of delegates in Rome. Instead of the usual gathering of bishops, he included lay people in the synod for the first time with voting rights. Some critics of the synod (including priests, bishops and cardinals) did not agree with the pope’s vision as they accused him of democratizing or protestantising the Catholic Church which they claim must always be hierarchical. But Pope Francis aimed to balance traditional Church teaching with contemporary pastoral needs while promoting greater inclusivity and transparency in Church governance.

The 52 page Final Document, approved by 355 synod members in attendance, outlines substantial proposals for Church renewal, organized into five main sections and calls for five forms of conversion: spiritual, relational, procedural, institutional, and missionary. The document contains the following main proposals (condensed by Pierre-Alain Giffard):

Study Areas for Groups: The Synod encourages specialized groups to delve deeper into ten critical areas, such as the relationship between Eastern and Latin Churches, supporting the poor, and adapting mission efforts to the digital world, to better align Church life with modern challenges and synodal ideals.

Transparency and Accountability: The proposal emphasizes that transparency in Church governance, especially through public reports and audits, can help build trust and ensure the Church is responsibly managing resources, while also upholding values of inclusion and equality, such as balanced gender representation in decision-making bodies.

Empowering Episcopal Conferences: By strengthening the role of Episcopal Conferences, the Church can allow for more locally responsive doctrinal and pastoral care that respects cultural diversity, while still preserving the unity and integrity of the Catholic faith worldwide.

Inclusivity for People with Disabilities: This proposal suggests an Ecclesial Observatory on Disability, aiming to foster active involvement of individuals with disabilities, ensuring their unique contributions enrich Church life and outreach.

Strengthening Family and Marital Support: Recognizing families as vital contributors to the Church’s mission, this proposal advocates for networks that support families in pastoral roles, allowing them to actively participate in evangelization and service within their communities.

Promotion of Synodal Decision-Making: Encouraging synodal processes at all levels aims to make decision-making more inclusive and reflective of the broader Church community, fostering shared discernment and updating canon law to clearly define consultative and decision-making roles.

If these wonderful proposals are implemented, the Church will move from being a corporation to a communion of the people of God.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This is Veterans Day weekend – an occasion to remind ourselves of the importance to honor all those who have risked life, limb and mind for our country. We bring all of these heroes and heroines in prayer to God at all the Masses this weekend. We also thank and pray for all the law enforcement officials who live and work tirelessly to keep us safe.

At our 10 am Mass today we honor St. Martin De Porres who is the patron of our Parish St. Martin De Porres Society. Martin was born in Lima, Peru. At fifteen he began his long relationship with the Dominican Order and later took his vows as a brother. His painful childhood taught him compassion and generosity. As a Dominican he doctored Lima’s sick. While surgery was primitive in his day, he had a vast knowledge of herbal medicines. In addition to his free services as a doctor, he distributed thousands of dollars worth of food and clothing to the poor each week. He founded an orphanage for abandoned children and staffed it with the best teachers, nurses and guardians he could hire. On the hills near Lima, he planted fruit orchards for the poor. He is also remembered for his love of animals. Pope John XXIII remarked at Martin’s canonization on May 6, 1962, that Martin excused the faults of others and forgave the bitterest injuries. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly comforting the sick and providing food, clothing and medicine for the poor.

This week there are a number of interesting saints In the liturgical calendar:
St. Martin of Tours (Monday), St. Josaphat (Tuesday), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Wednesday), St. Albert the Great (Friday), and St. Margaret of Scotland & St. Gertrude (Saturday). Among these, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini – the first US citizen to be canonized – is of special importance to us. Many of us may have visited the Cabrini Shrine in Manhattan and seen her partially incorrupt body under glass.

Earlier this year, the movie ‘Cabrini’ was in theaters nationwide. For those of us who watched, it was a beautiful experience to know more about her life and legacy. Born in 1850, Cabrini nearly drowned as a child, her lungs were damaged, and she was rejected by several religious orders on the basis of ill health. Ultimately, she founded her own Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and added Xavier to her name, after the Jesuit saint Francis Xavier. Since her early childhood in Italy, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there.

She found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances, truly a valiant woman, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did. In 35 years, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. She was canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.

This daring woman’s determination to follow God’s will in her life with such dedication and compassion for the sick and poor is truly remarkable and inspirational.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This weekend and for the whole of November, we fondly remember all our near and dear departed ones. Some of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, like the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity (both written during the second century), refer to the Christian practice of praying for the dead. Praying for the deceased members of the family as part of their family night prayers was also an ancient practice of oriental Christians. The early Fathers of the Church encouraged this practice which they believed had been inherited from the Apostles. Tertullian (A.D. 160-240) wrote about the anniversary Masses for the dead, advising widows to pray for their husbands. St. Augustine remarked that he used to pray for his deceased mother, remembering her request: “When I die, bury me anywhere you like, but remember to pray for me at the altar” (Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 13, 35-37).

What is a Mass intention? Offering a Mass for our departed family members is an age-old and venerable custom. This is why we have Mass intentions announced at every Mass.  A Mass intention may be requested for: a deceased loved one, a living person who is sick or suffering, a living person who is celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other special moment in their life, in thanksgiving to God for His blessings, in thanksgiving for a favor received through the intercession of a Saint, or for a prayer intention (so long as the intention does not contradict Church teaching). We announce these intentions at every Mass here at St. Matthias.

Opening our 2025 Book of Mass Intentions: In our parish there are many requests for scheduling Mass intentions. Our 2025 Book of Mass Intentions will be opened on Monday, November 11, 2024, 8:30 AM in the Parish Office. There have been increasing requests for additional Mass intentions during unforeseen special occasions such as death, month’s mind, etc., Last year, considering these, I had allowed additional intentions with the existing intention for the Mass.  In such cases, we will be accepting only one additional intention, which will be announced in the Universal Prayers (Prayers of the Faithful). It may not appear in the bulletin. Please know that, as per the laws of the Church, stipend/offering for these additional Mass intentions will be sent to the Mission Office of our Diocese or to missionary priests overseas.

So, is stipend the cost of a Mass? It is very important for us to know that the stipend is NOT the cost of a Mass. In fact, the Code of Canon Law uses the word “offering,” not “stipend” – to highlight that this is a suggested amount of offering. To require payment would be wrong, and in fact the code specifies that priests should “celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering” (945.2).  In my 40-plus years of priesthood, many people have asked me, “How much does a Mass cost?” I always answered that there is no cost or fee because the graces flowing from Mass are of infinite value. I further clarified that there is a suggested offering, but if that’s unaffordable, you can donate something less or nothing at all, and the Mass will still be offered for the intention you desire. More details will be in next Sunday’s bulletin.

Let us make this traditional prayer ours: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

In a few days, we enter some very important events in the church’s calendar.

All Saints Day is this Friday (November 1), a Holy Day of Obligation. We have three Masses that day: 8 am, 12:10 pm and 7:30 pm, so that we can attend any Mass at our convenience. The Bible reminds us that the number of those saved are “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” (Revelation 7:9). This includes the canonized saints whose number keeps on increasing. Pope Francis canonized 14 new saints just last Sunday (October 20). They are:

  • Manuel Ruiz López and Seven Companions of the Order of Friars Minor, and Francis Mooti and Raphael Massabki, lay faithful, martyrs.
  • Joseph Allamano, priest, Founder of the Institutes of Men Missionaries of the Consolata and Women Missionaries of the Consolata.
  • Marie-Léonie Paradis (born Virginia Alodie), Foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
  • Elena Guerra, Foundress of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Holy Spirit, known as the “Sisters of Saint Zita.”
  • Carlo Acutis, the modern teen web designer who had special devotion to the Eucharist.

Among the newly canonized saints is St. Giuseppe Allamano (1851–1926), an Italian diocesan priest who founded the Consolata Missionary Priests and Sisters. Allamano, though he spent his entire life in Italy, left a global legacy by training missionaries who carried the Gospel to remote corners of Africa, Asia, and South America. We, here at St. Matthias, have a special connection to the Consolata Missionaries as the Consolata priests have been a great help to us for many years and still continue to be whenever they are available to minister to us. In the name of us all, I congratulate them for this great honor of their founder’s canonization.

All Souls Day is on Saturday (November 2). Though not a Holy Day of Obligation, we will have a Holy Mass at 8 am. A separate Mass to commemorate all those who passed away this year will be held on Sunday evening (November 3) at 5:30 pm.

We know that November is dedicated to the departed souls. At all the Masses this weekend, we are remembering in prayer all our dearly departed ones.  Explaining the true concept of Purgatory as an “existential state” and not a place, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote that it is “the fringe of heaven, a state where heaven’s eternal light has a refining effect on the “holy souls” (not ‘poor souls’), who are held in the arms of Divine Mercy.” 

The doctrine of “Communion of saints” that we profess every Sunday is a happy reminder to us of all those who are gone to God. Pope Francis calls it a “spiritual connection that exists between those who continue their pilgrimage on earth and those who have passed the threshold of death into eternity.” So let us happily depend on their intercessions for us even as we remember them with gratitude in our prayers especially during the Holy Eucharist. This is one reason why we give a ‘Mass Card’ to those who are grieving the loss of a family member or arrange for Masses to be offered on the anniversary of our dear departed ones.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by 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