Category: Fr. Abraham’s Weekly Column

Dear Friends,

The Eucharistic Procession last Saturday was a beautiful experience. The vast majority of those who attended the 5 pm Mass joined the procession and entered back in the church and attended the Benediction. We began the weekly adoration on Monday and the response was truly amazing. With 42 people praying silently before the Blessed Sacrament in the first half hour and then having an overage of 30 people present for every half-hour slot of the rest of the time. I invite you all to sign up for one of those slots or simply drop in for whatever time you can between 6-8 pm on Mondays.

I am very grateful to Msgr. Brennan for setting this plan in motion with detailed instruction and training of the EMs about exposing and reposing the Blessed Sacrament. Please read his letter on page 8 about his retirement plans, as approved by the Bishop. He does not want a formal farewell but I know you will certainly express your gratitude to him for his presence and ministry with us. I have requested him to return and help us whenever possible.

Though changes are part of life, it is painful to accept. On the last day of our school, there was a lovely prayer service with all the students gathered in the parking lot. It was moving to see Mr. Joe Gidaro sprinkling holy water on the students and the teachers blessing the students with the sign of the cross. When Mrs. Mary Lynch announced the names of those teachers and staff not returning after the summer, there were expressions of sadness from the students. Those expressions were very palpable when the names of Mr. Gidaro and Mrs. Josephine Pugnet were announced. Both of them touched the students with their caring and loving service: Mr. Gidaro faithfully served as Vice Principal and Mrs. Pugnet as the Cafeteria Manager, overseeing the lunch program and providing the students with choice meals. Both will be missed in the school and their services are gratefully remembered.

Graduation itself is another change, but a happy one, as you can see in that lovely picture of the class of 2023 on page 7. The 32 young men and women have completed their ACADEMIC life with us as they move on to the next level of their life’s journey, but we hope they will continue their spiritual life with us as we strive for a solid faith formation through Catholic education”. As the Catholic Community of St. Matthias, we, together with their parents and school faculty and staff, are very proud of them. We will continue our mission of Catholic education to the best of our ability.

Happy Feast to all Fathers! Having a good father is a gift of God’s grace. A good father is not afraid to show love, is patient, forgiving, joyful, and believes in his children. A good father leads by example and is present to help rear his offspring. In Scripture and in church, God is often called Father. Why? Is it so we can bring God down to our level of understanding, or is it to encourage our earthly fathers to live up to a higher standard? If it is the latter, men have some really big shoes to fill! Of course, the Catechism teaches that God is neither male nor female (CCC no.239), and God’s grace and mercy go way beyond the goodness that any of our fathers can exhibit. Yet, let us be aware of and practice our need to thank God daily for our fathers, uncles, brothers, sons, and men friends.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Dear Friends,

You have seen the change of colors in the church to green, reminding us that we are now in the “Ordinary Time” of the Liturgical Calendar. It is called “ordinary” simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. It stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time in fact represent the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent).  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42). Not much drama here. The usual stuff of daily life. Worshiping together, eating together and learning together. Yes, a big segment of our life consists of the ordinary.

The Church uses this time for a more vigorous understanding of our faith. Hence, today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity. Our faith in the Triune God is a mystery that was revealed to us by Jesus himself. Trinity pervades our life – both internally and internally. When we were baptized, the triple pouring of the water on us is an external reminder of the internal transformation that took place in our soul. The signing of the cross is recognized as the universal symbol of Christian profession, reminding us that the Holy Trinity lives in us.

Next Sunday is the Feast of Corpus Christi. Its liturgical title, “Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ,” shows its centrality in Christian life and worship. But, in the recent decades, faith in the Real Presence of Jesus has waned in the mind of Catholics in general. Studies and researches have shown a sad reality of only about 30% of Catholics believing that the bread and wine do transform into the body and blood of Christ. That is the reason for the US Bishops Conference to call for a National Eucharistic Congress. Its Diocesan phase is coming to an end and the Parish phase begins next Sunday with the Feast of Corpus Christi.

As announced, we have formed a Parish Eucharistic Revival Committee who will initiate and implement many ideas and plans to strengthen our faith in the Eucharist and to invite people back to church. Two ideas with which we will begin the Revival are:

1. To have the Eucharistic Procession around our campus following the 5 pm Mass next Saturday. Please come and be part of this important expression of our faith.
2. To have a Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 6 – 8 pm. You have seen the sign up chart in the narthex. Try for a half-hour slot on one or more Monday evenings and see what a beautiful experience being in the presence of Jesus can be.

There will be other ideas that we will implement. Let us enter into this Year of Revival entrusting ourselves to Jesus Christ our Savior whose promise to be with us always is most tangibly realized in the Holy Eucharist.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Dear Friends,

We know from the Bible that the Ascension of Jesus took place forty days after the Resurrection: “[Jesus] presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days.” Acts 1:3. The 4th day after Easter Sunday will always be Thursday, therefore the Church, from very early on, celebrated Christ’s Ascension on this day.

But with the declining number of attendance on a weekday, many US Ecclesiastical Provinces as well as some countries, decided to transfer the feast to Sunday. You may remember that last year, our bishops of New Jersey decided to permanently transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the following Sunday, the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Hence we keep the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord today.

Ascension does not mean that Jesus disappeared, because even as he ascended, his assurance was, “I will be with you always, even to the end of times” (Matthew 28:20). What is celebrated is Jesus’ exaltation and the end of his earthly existence as a prelude to the gift of the Spirit. Hence this feast is a celebration of Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death, and Resurrection – a glory in which we also hope to share.

And yet, humanly speaking, the concept of bodily Ascension is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. Pope Francis doesn’t shy away from explaining the mysteries of our faith. In his catechesis on Ascension, he says: “Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven thus allows us to know this reality that is so consoling on our journey: in Christ, true God, and true man, our humanity has been brought to God. He has opened the way. He is like the leader of a mountain climbing party that is roped together. He has reached the summit and pulls us to himself, leading us to God. If we entrust our lives to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him, we are certain of being in safe hands.”

Next Sunday is the great Feast of Pentecost. We are who we are because of the power of the Holy Spirit whose indwelling is within each one of us. Remember, what happened to the Apostles and the Blessed Mother after the Ascension? They gathered in the Upper Room and began to prepare themselves for the next nine days for the coming of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus told them (Acts1:4; Lk 24:49). They were anointed by the Holy Spirit and were totally changed. They became as new persons with a new life that even the citizens around them could see it so clearly.

As a parish community, we can be proud that we are becoming a spirit‐filled people not only when we gather to worship in church, but also as we volunteer to serve the community through the various ministries we have. At our Ministry Fair this weekend in the cafeteria, we have an opportunity to become familiar with many of those ministries. As you move from table to table, and hear more about each of those ministries, the Holy Spirit will prompt you. Listen to the Spirit and see if you are called to join any of those ministries. Do pray about it these days that the gift of the Holy Spirit will be “fanned into a flame “, “rekindled”, and “kept alive.” May the Spirit bless us as we prepare for the Feast of Pentecost.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Dear Friends,

You must have noticed the sound of Hand bells (Sanctus bells) during the Mass. We began to use bells this year from the Easter Vigil Mass onwards. At our last Parish Pastoral Council, there was an overwhelming appreciation for introducing the bells. Many of you told me of your joy at hearing the bells, evoking childhood memories. One parishioner asked me about the significance of bells. Another wanted to know why some parishes use bells and some don’t. I had been planning to explain these at the earliest chance which is happening in this column.

The ringing of bells during the consecration has a long history in the church, beginning about the 13th century. In those days, churches were large, the priest faced the altar. and Mass was offered in Latin, a language most ordinary folks did not know. Still they came faithfully to church to pray and so they would recite the rosary and novena prayers to different saints during the Mass. The church realized the need for directing the attention of the congregation to the altar at least during those important moments of the Mass. Thus bells were introduced to be rung primarily before the gospel proclamation, during the elevation of the Host, the elevation of the chalice and before receiving Holy Communion.

However, the Second Vatican Council decided to have the Mass offered in the vernacular, in the language of the people, so that all can understand the prayers. According to the Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Church earnestly desires that all the faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations. Such participation by the Christian people as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1 Pt 2:9; see 2:4-5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism. This made the bells redundant as everyone was called to participate attentively in the Holy Eucharist. Hence many churches discontinued the use of bells. But people missed the bells, because we humans are slaves of habit.

Does that mean bells are prohibited by the church? No. Here’s what the General Instruction of the Roman Missal says: “A little before the consecration, if appropriate, a minister rings a small bell as a signal to the faithful. The minister also rings the small bell at each elevation by the priest, according to local custom” (No. 150). Besides, it is biblical. The Old Testament mentions the use of bells on four occasions: Exodus 28:33-35, 39: 25-26; Ecclesiasticus 45:9, and Zechariah 14:20; Psalm 98:4; Psalm 150: 5-6.

From my Indian background, it may interest us to know the meaning of bells in a Hindu temple. When a devotee enters the Hindu temple, he or she rings a bell. The devotee is saying to the god or goddess of that temple: “Lord, I am here, please give me your ear.”

We have to understand that as human beings, we are distracted during Mass, and so bells can help us concentrate, by bringing our attention to the most important moment of the Mass. Bells also add reverence and solemnity to the Eucharistic celebration. May the introduction of bells help us to be more attentive in the sacred Liturgy.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Speaking of today’s gospel, Pope Benedict XVI said “The road to Emmaus actually represents every place: the road that leads there is the road every Christian, every person, takes. The risen Jesus makes himself our traveling companion as we go our way, to rekindle the warmth of faith and hope in our hearts and to break the bread of eternal life”

The disappointment and the sadness of the two disciples represent the common experience of most people. Their description of their experience tells it all: “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel”. They speak in the past tense implying that they have lost all hope. When Christ walked among them they had been filled with hope. But witnessing His crucifixion and death and burial seemed to have crushed all their expectations. The resurrection and appearances of Christ will change all that. Having walked with Him and sitting down to share a meal they recognize Him “in the breaking of the bread”. On our pilgrimage of life we experience many disappointments and we lose hope. But the risen one walks with us on the road of life every day. Like the two disciples we are blind to his presence. Often we must walk many miles (years) before our eyes are open to His presence.

Our weekly gathering for mass is where we most often have our hope restored. The Eucharist is our weekly coming together to listen to the Lord’s Word and to share the gift of His Body and Blood, His abiding presence in the Eucharist .

This drama of the disciples of Emmaus appears like a reflection of the situation of many Christians of our time .Sometimes we feel abandoned and forgotten even by the Lord. But this road we walk is the way of purification and maturation. He walks with you daily. Listen to his Word and reflect on it and participate in the breaking of bread, the Eucharist, every week. In that way you too will come to say “our eyes were opened and we recognized Him in the breaking of bread”.

Msgr. Brennan