Category: Fr. Abraham’s Weekly Column

Third Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

We have scheduled a Healing Mass on Saturday March 26th at 11am, presided by Msgr. Seamus Brennan. All who need healing from a variety of spiritual, emotional or physical ills are welcome, and in particular, any Catholic who has a serious illness or who has become weak because of advanced age is welcome to receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. This sacrament is administered by the priest through the laying on of hands and anointing with the Holy Oil of the Sick on the forehead and the palms of the hands. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament (James 5:14-15 and Mark 6:13). The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects: – the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church; the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age; the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance; the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul; the preparation for passing over to eternal life. (CCC, 1532)

Here I wish to clarify a common misunderstanding: This sacrament used to be referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites, which sometimes led people to believe that the only proper time to call the priest for this sacrament is when someone is about to die. The Church wants us to know that this Sacrament can be administered several times for the same person, if necessary. One might certainly become seriously ill more than once in a lifetime, or may face serious surgery on several occasions. In each instance, one can receive this anointing.

We encounter Jesus the divine healer at every Mass. But during a healing Mass, the theme of the entire Mass is healing – through prayers, through the Word of God, through the sacrament of anointing and the reception of Holy Communion. Healing Mass is an opportunity for everyone to pray for the Lord’s healing touch upon whatever we need to be free from – an illness or mind, body or soul, a negative feeling within us, an inability to forgive, unhealthy tendencies. All are welcome to attend this spiritual event and experience the Lord’s healing touch.

Another very important means of healing is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Lent is an ideal time for this and that is the reason that people make it a point to go to Confession during this season to be freed of our sins. Unfortunately ‘sin’ has become a dirty word that we prefer to avoid in our common parlance. And yet we see the devastating effects of sin that brings us so much unhappiness and heartaches within us and in the way we deal with others. The very first words of Jesus when He began His public ministry were: “Repent and believe the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt.4:17) That was what we heard when we received ashes on our forehead as we began the Lenten journey.

In order to make this wonderful healing Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation more available for us all, Msgr. Brennan and I have decided to offer more opportunities from next week onwards for the remainder of lent. Thus, the regular Saturday confessions will be from 3 – 4:30 and both of us will be available. And two days of the week – on Mondays and Fridays – we will be available for Confession for about 15 minutes after the 8am Mass.

Jesus said to His Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Haven’t we all felt the attractive power of sin in our lives? Haven’t we all regretted the hurtful words and painful deeds that made others unhappy? But the good news is that we can start all over again with the goodness of the Lord who is the healer in the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession. Why not use this golden mine for our own good? Please call the
parish office if you have any questions.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Second Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

For some time now, you probably have noticed workers on the roof of our church and may have wondered what’s happening there. We are going solar! Looking at our financials, I had realized that one of the important areas where we could save a lot of money was how we obtain our electricity. Hence, I initiated the process to go solar in the summer of 2020, but it was very time-consuming with proposals from various solar companies to be submitted to the Diocese, followed by approval, inspections, and other protocols. The project was entrusted to the “Amped on Solar” company whose CEO Mr. Luke Uzupis has been meticulously following up with the time-consuming process for going solar. As per the agreement, the solar company provided us with a new roof, both for the church and the school, free of cost. And now we are entering the final phase of installing the solar panels which is what you see happening on the roof, supervised by Mr. Mark Onori, the Vice President of Project Management for Amped On Solar. Mr. Uzupis, who is implementing this project, deserves our deep appreciation for moving it forward at record  time despite many obstacles caused by the pandemic, the weather, supply chain hold ups and bureaucratic delays. Our hope is to go solar in May/June this year. I am truly grateful to Most Rev. James Checchio, our Bishop, Msgr. Joseph Celano, the Episcopal Vicar for Administration, Mr. Steve Michalek, the diocesan director of the Office of Properties and Facilities, Mary Pat Burke-Grospin, Trish Stumper and many others who in one way or another were and are instrumental in making this wonderful project move forward.

We all know that solar power offers cost savings, reduces carbon footprint and produces significant profits over the long run. Besides these advantages, going solar is one of the ways of responding to the challenge that Pope Francis has given in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ motivating us to address environmental issues. He wrote about the urgent need “to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy. Worldwide there is minimal access to clean and renewable energy.” (no.26) Yes, we can be proud that we are one of the pioneering parishes in our diocese to respond to this urgent need to care for the earth, our home.

On another note: This Friday, March 17, is the feast of St. Patrick, “when everyone is Irish!” While indulging in corned beef and cabbage, Guinness, et. al., the church invites us to focus on the missionary nature of the life of St. Patrick who converted the Irish population to Catholicism in his 33 years of apostolate there. The Irish rightly brought his legacy to places they have settled.

This Saturday, March 19, is the feast of St. Joseph – a big Feast especially for Italians because in the Middle Ages, God, through St. Joseph’s intercessions, saved the Sicilians from a very serious drought. So in his honor, the custom has been for all to wear red, in the same way that green is worn on St. Patrick’s Day. Blessing of food (“la tavola di San Giuse” or “St. Joseph’s Table”) is a popular practice for Italian Catholics.

Happy Feast of St. Patrick! Happy Feast of St. Joseph!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

First Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

We have officially entered the holy season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. The pandemic had already made us use Q-tips to impose ashes. This year too we have received ashes from our ministers in the same way. Many loved that the cross on the forehead is not just a smudge, but, someone told me, “it is a high definition cross!” Using Q-tip can be a nice practice to follow even in non-pandemic times.

The Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18) reminded us of the three traditional pillars of Lenten observance.

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. This can happen not only when we sit quietly in silent prayer or reading Scriptures, but also in sharing faith with others in small groups. It is truly astonishing that we have so many groups meeting at different times and days of the week for this purpose. What is more important is to have a regular time for prayer. If not, our good intentions will remain unrealized.

Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. We Americans seem to like the word ‘dieting’ rather than fasting! No matter what word we like, it is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. To forego a hamburger on a Lenten Friday and feast instead on lobster seems a bit hypocritical as the U.S. Bishops point out: “While fish, lobster and other shellfish are not considered meat and can be consumed on days of abstinence, indulging in the lavish buffet at your favorite seafood place sort of misses the point.”

Almsgiving: Almsgiving is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized. We can be grateful to God that our Parish has the best track record on this – not only during Lent but throughout the year – thanks to our parishioners practicing solidarity with those in need, with our
very active St. Vincent De Paul Society, taking lead in this.

In this context, I wish to promote a wonderful initiative that Bishop Checchio has just launched, inviting us to put mercy into action by doing 40 works of mercy during this Lent and Easter seasons. Titled “40 Act Impact,” this campaign is established to remind us Catholics in our diocese that just as God has impacted our own individual lives, we are called to go out and do the same for others. For more info, go to https://diometuchen.org/worksofmercy

Wishing us all a meaningful and fruitful Lent,

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

Listening Sessions for Synod: Some of our parishioners were able to attend the deanery ‘Listening Session’ in Somerville on 2/18/22, in preparation for the worldwide “Synod on Synodality.” It was a very special experience. As announced, I wish to offer more of our parishioners that opportunity, and that is why we will have two listening sessions here at St. Matthias. One will be via zoom at 7 pm on Thursday, March 3. The other will be in person at 10 am on Saturday, March 5, in the Cafeteria. Kindly register for the one you wish to attend (see links on page 1). In case you are unable to attend these, you are still most welcome to send in your answers to the questions online at: www.stmatthias.net/synod-2023

Lent is upon us! You have been hearing about preparing for Lent. Contrary to some misconceptions, Lent is not a time for self-punishment or condemnation, but a time to concentrate on fundamental values and priorities. If Lent is a season of preparation leading up to Easter, then the focus is on the new life that is our guarantee through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent we make a self-examination to see how we are faring in our efforts to achieve that new life. It is interesting that ‘Lent’ comes from the old English word ‘Lente’ meaning spring. As we do a spring cleaning, Lent is a time for spiritual cleaning. How do you do that? The Church offers various opportunities:

1. Ash Wednesday: On this first day of Lent, we are reminded of our fallen nature; that we are fallible human beings who have made wrong choices that hurt us and others in our life. Yet we are not without hope, because the grace of God gives us a second chance to reform. This is symbolized by the ashes that will be imposed on us with the words, “Repent and believe the good news,” or “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” See page 7 or our website for our Ash Wednesday schedule.

2. Stations of the Cross or Way of the Cross: This is a prayerful biblical meditation of 14 incidents from the Gospel accounts and traditions of the journey of Jesus from Pilate’s house to being placed in the tomb. Let us do it on Lenten Fridays.

3. LIVE LENT! This week, many of our parishioners will begin this wonderful experience of Bible sharing in small groups six times during the six weeks of Lent. If you have not signed up yet, you are welcome to do so now.

4. I would also like to recommend a Bible Conference offered online by the famous Augustine Institute, on Saturday, March 5, exploring the graces of this penitential season in Scripture and Tradition. This three hour conference is free and open to all. Go to this link to register: https://bibleconference.augustineinstitute.org

These and other possibilities are worth considering doing. You will be amazed at the positive spiritual benefits. Thus we can make Lent a meaningful time of spring cleaning for our souls and you will see what a great difference it will make in all of our lives.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

It is becoming increasingly common knowledge that the generations being raised up now are dissociating themselves from any religious group. We see this reflected in fewer sacraments being received, poor Mass attendance, and parish closures. In a Pew Research article the top reasons the “nones” cite for labeling themselves as “nones” include “I question a lot of religious teachings” (51-77%), “I don’t like the positions churches take on social/political issues” (47-54%), and “Religion is irrelevant to me” (26-63%).

Often parishioners have told me, I don’t know how to answer when my children or my co-workers ask me about the Bible or the why of certain Catholic practices. Well, we have answers, but we don’t know. That’s why our parish is offering many opportunities to equip ourselves for this mission. LIVE LENT! is one such. Here are feedbacks from some of our own parishioners who participated in an earlier season of Bible sharing in small groups:

“I appreciate the awakening that takes place during faith sharing. Keep it going!!!!!”
“It satisfied my hunger for spiritual nourishment.”
“A very friendly, intimate feeling. We shared our beliefs, struggles, and hopes for a more productive Lenten experience.”
“It was interesting to hear what others in my group thought about the reading, their views and opinions. I felt that I got more from that about the gospel than just listening to the gospel as Mass.”
“This made my Lenten journey much more meaningful and focused.”
“We get so much from each weekly gathering.”
“It strengthens us for the week.”
“We learn from the readings and each other.”
“Not having prep work/homework helps me to feel comfortable, to participate.”
“I learned so much more about the Scripture.”
“The fellowship was terrific.”
“Now I have a name for the people I knew just by face.”
“The Sunday Mass has become more meaningful to me.”
“I am able to relate to my family with more love and understanding.”

How wonderful it will be if more of our parishioners can experience the same! That is why I am once again inviting us all to consider joining a small group this Lent. This week is the right time to sign up as the first session will begin next week. There is no expense either, since the Bible lessons will be sent online, though a printed copy can be obtained at a nominal cost.

This is a process of spiritual renewal and evangelization that invites people to develop a closer relationship with Christ, deepen their faith, grow in community, and reach out in service to others. Don’t you wish to be part of this noble goal? Try it for this Lent, and you will be surprised at the spiritual benefits that will make you happier and a better person. You will be proud of yourself for deciding to learn more about the Word of God this Lent. To sign up online, go to: https://forms.gle/FYvnjMbqD8yGmZYB8

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

Three related observances are happening this week:

National Marriage Week (Feb 7-14): This week draws our attention to the beauty of marriage. The theme selected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for National Marriage Week 2022 is “Called to the Joy of Love,” referring to Pope Francis’2016 Encyclical on the family Amoris Laetitia. The theme was chosen to highlight the many ways that married couples and families are accompanied by the Church to live out the call of love. National Marriage Week was started to honor husbands and wives for their never-ending sacrifices and faithfulness that hold these unions together.

World Marriage Day (Feb 13): began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1981 and grew out of the experience of couples engaged in the “Worldwide Marriage Encounter,” a movement founded in Spain — “Encuentro Conyugal” — by the late Father Gabriel Calvo (1927-2021), who devoted his entire priestly ministry (1952-2021) to the pastoral care of married couples and families. “There is within each couple,” he reflected, “a divine energy of love. It has to be released by a deep sharing between husband and wife, through the communication of their feelings and of the whole of their lives together. It cannot be done in just one moment.” Pope St. John Paul II imparted his apostolic blessing to “World Marriage Day” in 1993.

Valentine’s Day (Feb 14): One of the most romantic days of the year, Valentine’s Day, has a Catholic connection. Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with “courtly love.” One of the many legends about him, says that he refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, was imprisoned and while imprisoned he healed the jailer’s blind daughter. On the day of his execution, he left the girl a note signed, “Your Valentine.” His feast day came to be dedicated to love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending gifts to their beloved.

These three observances invite us to promote marriage and love. We know that the number of marriages have fallen drastically in recent decades due to cultural and attitudinal changes. While the Catholic church is at the forefront of promoting marriage and family, I was happily surprised to find great support for the same from certain unexpected quarters:

Time Magazine: “…We should provide the facts about the importance of marriage as a matter of child welfare and economic aspiration. As a society, we have launched highly effective public education campaigns on much less momentous issues, from smoking to recycling… For now, the decline of marriage is our most ignored national crisis…”

Fox News: “The Brookings Institution says that if we had the marriage rate today that we had in 1970, there would be a 25 percent drop in poverty. The Heritage
Foundation says that marriage drops the probability of a child living in poverty by 82 percent.”

Newsweek Magazine: “National Marriage Week presents a chance to focus on rebuilding a culture of marriage for this generation.”

May such support for marriage and family spread more and more. As we appreciate and encourage all our married couples, we pray for God’s blessings to enable them to continue the path of love and unity despite the many challenges they face.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

This year is the 60th Anniversary of the founding of our St. Matthias Parish. You must have already heard this from the pulpit/bulletin announcements. The actual date of the founding is June 8, 1962. A committee, chaired by Anne Marie Francis of our Parish Pastoral Council, has been formed and they are looking at various ideas, focusing on what is practical in these challenging pandemic times.

In the meanwhile, I wish to remind us that this anniversary of our parish can be an excellent opportunity for us to rededicate our efforts to grow more familiar with the Word of God. How do we do that? One easy way is to better utilize the excellent plan we already have in place: the Bible sharing in small groups that we began during 2019 Lent, which continued during the Fall and Lent seasons every year since. We had 27 groups who had an amazing time of learning God’s Word while experiencing true bonding with group members. It brought a renewed interest and familiarity with God’s Word for them. They brought a new energy to our parish life. Even when the pandemic forced us to go online, some 16 groups continued meeting via zoom.

Thank you to Dee Nann, our Faith Formation Director, and her dedicated team who have been organizing these small groups, with the steadfast interest and help from the Facilitators. As we will soon enter Lent 2022, I wish to invite the rest of the parish to prayerfully consider joining a small group.

This pandemic has required us to remain isolated from our brothers and sisters in faith. Pope Francis had encouraged the whole Church to accept the challenge called “Connected in Christ” by joining a small group. Each group decides if this connection should be remotely, socially distanced at the parish or at a parishioner’s home. This is a great way to connect with other parish members. Here’s what one participant said:

“Our own parishioners and others have so many wonderful experiences of Bible sharing in small groups. We are a lively group. I was deeply impressed by the quality of the members’ responses which I find highly spiritual and thought provoking We had such a profound spiritual experience which made everyone eager and looking forward for our next session. We now feel we have a much closer tie with the parish community, with each other and most specially a greater love for our God.”

Here’s another testimony: “Truly an amazing program; it helped me so much to deal with my daily challenges with a peace that I got from these group sharing. Thank you for bringing this to our parish.”

This weekend you will hear testimonies from four of our parishioners – Nick Grippo, Gondee Tibay, Joe and Eileen Mancuso, and Sean Smith – who will share their experience in small groups. After listening to them, I hope and pray that you will be inspired to give 90 minutes once a week just for six weeks of Lent to become familiar with God’s Word in the happy company of a small group of God’s people. Please see page 7 for registration info.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday Mrs. Mary Lynch, our Principal gave a pulpit invitation to us to join the special Mass this Sunday as we celebrate the Catholic School Week nationally. She spoke beautifully about St. Matthias School that is an integral part of our parish. The success of St. Matthias School impacts St. Matthias parish. I am truly grateful to all of our parishioners, all of the school parents, faculty, staff, all other supporters and well-wishers for helping our school become truly a sanctuary of “Faith, Caring and Excellence” – as the school motto reminds us.

I’m sure you are aware of the “synod on synodality,” a worldwide gathering of bishops and other leaders called by Pope Francis. Synodality literally means walking together. Pope Francis invited the Catholic Church to embark on a journey of listening and discernment to develop a deeper understanding of its mission and look toward the future. This Synod, entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”, began in October 2021 and will conclude October 2023. Even though the Church is structured in a vertical hierarchical way, Francis said this synod is meant to “listen to the questions, concerns and hopes of every church, people and nation.”

The word ‘synodal’ refers to the involvement and participation of all the People of God in the life and mission of the Church. The goal of this journeying together is not to create a new pastoral plan with objectives. Rather, the goal is to be present with one another, to listen and learn with each other, and to grow closer to the Lord and His Church. Pope Francis has said: “Let us ask: in the church, are we good at listening? How good is the hearing of the heart? Do we allow people to express themselves, to walk in faith even though they have had difficulties in life, and to be part of the life of the community without being hindered, rejected or judged?”

Some fear that it will change the structure of the church and make it more democratic like some of the Protestant churches. That is an unfounded fear. The hope is that now on, everyone will have a voice to tell his or her own personal story as well as bring ideas and suggestions for the common good, and the bishops in their dioceses and pastors in their parishes will listen to these and will make the final decisions on these. Thus, we become more of a listening church.

A key part of the Synod are “listening sessions” to be held in all Catholic communities throughout the world. Our diocesan sessions in deaneries were originally scheduled for late January but have been postponed. But the Diocese will be having a “Virtual Synod Facilitator Training” on Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join that by registering at: https://www.diometuchen.org/facilitator-training

In addition to these diocesan deanery sessions, I am proposing to have our own parish listening session here at St. Matthias, probably sometime in early
March. Keep an eye out in coming weeks for the exact date. But if many of you can attend the Facilitator training on February 3, it will be helpful for our
own parish listening session. Have a look at the Synod Preparation materials and other important resources on the diocesan website at: https://www.diometuchen.org/synod2023

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

A warm welcome back to Msgr Seamus Brennan, after his short trip to Ireland, which became longer than expected. 🙂

We are witnessing two events of great importance this week. First is the 49th March for Life that took place on Friday, January 21 in Washington D.C. The theme for this year’s March for Life is “Equality Begins in the Womb.” It is to remind us all, as a nation, that we need to restore equal rights to our most defenseless citizens in the womb.

The right to life is a human right. Our defense of that right is a joyful witness to the beauty and dignity of every human person. The March for Life is an inspiring, peaceful, vibrant, and joy-filled rally of women, men, young people, and children from all across the country. Every year, tens of thousands of prolifers converge on the National Mall and march on Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion in all 50 states. It’s the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. But this is not just a protest…but a gathering to celebrate life. Catholic teaching is clear: we envision a world where every life is celebrated, valued, and protected- born or unborn, young or old, baby or elderly, healthy or sick, rich or poor.

The second event is the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” which began last Tuesday and concludes this Tuesday. The theme this year, is what you have read in last Sunday’s bulletin: “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him” (Matthew 2:2), as chosen by the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut, Lebanon. The Magi are a symbol of the world’s diversity – different religions and cultures – that comes to pay homage to the Christchild. Pope Francis said that in a similar way, Christians of diverse backgrounds and traditions “are pilgrims on our way to full unity,” who come closer to our goal when keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus.

We know that Jesus prayed for unity: “Father, may they all be one.” (John 17:21). But this unity is not realized as an organizational unity. Instead, it is possible to have a unity based on loving service, the fundamental mark of Christianity. Such a unity is possible if we accept what St. Paul asked us to do: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3). This is a call for churches to work together so that young people can build a good future according to God’s heart, a future in which all human beings can experience life, peace, justice, and love. Here’s a short prayer we all can pray:

“Lord God, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to
gather all peoples into the one communion of love and life
through your Holy Spirit. Help us to be one in the spirit of love
as we serve others, especially the poorest, the weakest and
those marginalized. Unite us in the common mission that
Jesus has given us. Amen.”

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

Martin Luther King Day is observed every year on the third Monday of January. This year it falls on this Monday, January 17. Dr. King became minister of the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954 and was the most prominent leader in the American civil rights movement until his assassination in 1968. We are thankful for the path that he forged, together with countless others, for bringing about racial equality and ending racial segregation in the United States.

From what we have witnessed in recent years, it is obvious that we are experiencing deep divisions and polarizations on this issue and on other social justice matters. We need to ask the same questions that Dr. King asked: How will we struggle against the injustices in our society? What means will we use? Inspired by his Christian convictions and his admiration for Gandhi’s nonviolent activism that led to India’s freedom in 1947, Dr. King opted for civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience. He wanted to overcome hate with the wisdom of the Gospel of Jesus who taught loving our enemies. He kept reminding his audiences to seek reconciliation and not to fall easy prey to the temptation to violent reprisals. In 1958, Rev. King wrote: “Along the way of life, someone must have the sense enough and the morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives.”

As Catholics, we have been doing a lot of self-examination in becoming aware of racism that denies respect, equality and human dignity to people of color both in the church and in the society. In November 2018 the Catholic bishops of the United States released a Pastoral Letter Against Racism called, Open Wide Our Hearts. Our Bishops acknowledged the truth: “Racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and it corrupts the souls of those who harbor racist or prejudicial thoughts. The persistence of the evil of racism is why we are writing this letter now.”

Yes, the letter is a powerful initiative but more needs to be done, and soon, to bring that awareness to us Catholics on the national, diocesan and parish levels. I’m very happy that our parish of St. Matthias has taken some significant steps to address racism and other social justice issues by having events and retreats as well as launching the Social Justice Initiative by our Pastoral Council and the Racial Justice Initiative by our St. Martin De Porres Society.

I invite us all to read the Bishops’ letter ‘Open Wide Our Hearts’ as well as get new resources from usccb.org/racism. May the legacy of Dr. King remind us that God’s plan for us is to live in peace with all, by loving and respecting everyone without any discrimination.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal