Category: Fr. Abraham’s Weekly Column

 

Dear Friends,

We are excited that our celebration of the Hispanic Heritage is this weekend during the 5 pm Mass on Saturday. This Mass is part of the National Hispanic Heritage Month observed from September 15 to October 15, 2023, celebrating the contributions and importance of Hispanics and Latinos to the United States and those American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.  I’m very happy that our own Fr. Lancelot McGrath is an expert in Spanish language and culture and so he is our presider for this special Mass.

In the past, I was asked, “Why do we need a Hispanic or bilingual Mass since we have only a tiny minority of Hispanic parishioners?” My answer was that this has nothing to do with numbers but for the whole parish to realize that we are a diverse community and that everyone is welcome. It is a chance for us to appreciate the different ways of being and celebrating together as an ecclesial community of the people of God.

The reality of Hispanic Catholic presence is this: For the past four decades, Hispanic/Latino ministry has flourished in thousands of parishes across the country, including our own diocese of Metuchen. This past summer, the US bishops approved a National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry referring to Hispanics/Latinos as a blessing from God, as a missionary and prophetic presence that revitalizes the church in the United States. The Plan calls for a synodal church that is more welcoming, evangelizing, and missionary at all levels; a church that can build vibrant parish communities with our Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters, in the context of a culturally diverse society.

The theme for 2023 is “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America,” highlighting the contributions of Hispanics to the economic, political, and social growth of the United States. The most important gift, however, that our Hispanic/Latino Catholics bring to the Church in the U.S. is faith and popular piety. Bishop Arturo Cepeda, chairman of the US Bishops Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church, says: “We celebrate our faith within our Church, in our communities. We celebrate our faith with our families, and we want to continue to celebrate our faith in the larger context of our society. One of the greatest gifts is the sense of community…that sense of being together, of solidarity, of being united with our own planet, celebrating and respecting life, our own Catholic traditions, our great love for Our Lady, and the celebration of our faith through the sacraments.”

Such values are extremely important for us all. We are happy and proud that our tradition of welcoming and celebrating cultural diversity is one of the significant and meaningful ways to bring about the Kingdom of God more fully here at St. Matthias. Thank you to our Hispanic brothers and sisters for the faith, hope, and love you bring to prayer, worship, and daily life in all your diversity as Hispanic, Latino, and Latina Catholics. Your reverence and enthusiasm are truly an inspiration to us all.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

Do we need a “National Eat Dinner Together Day”? Well there is one, and that’s this Monday, September 25th! The fourth Monday in September has been declared “Family Day — a day to eat dinner with your children,” by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. This is a national effort to promote family dinners as an effective way to reduce youth substance abuse and other risky behaviors, as research consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs. For more ideas, visit their site: https://casafamilyday.org/

Nothing brings us together like eating together. Good food, great conversations, and loads of laughs—that’s what family dinners are made of. But in today’s culture, we all know that family dinner together has become an easy casualty. Grabbing dinner on the go can be bad for our wallets and our waistlines, but most importantly we miss the opportunity to bond and grow as a family.

Throughout the Bible, we see that mealtime was a time for being together and enjoying each other, and it was also a time for teaching and imparting wisdom. The Old Testament prophets often compared life in the new heavens and earth with the picture of a divine banqueting table (Isaiah. 25:6; 55:1–2). In the New Testament, we regularly find Jesus reclining “at table” during His earthly ministry, engaging with real people, furthering His kingdom work, fostering true community, demonstrating reconciliation with God, and building genuine fellowship among His disciples (Luke 5:29; 7:36; 11:37; 14:15). From Sarah hosting the angels to the Passover meal observance to Jesus changing water to wine for a wedding feast, there are so many biblical examples of mealtime fellowship. Jesus often compared the Kingdom of God to a banquet!  Eating together was a big deal to Jesus because it was a chance to deepen friendships, welcome strangers and serve the poor. No wonder Jesus chose to be food for us in the Holy Eucharist, to be the best spiritual nourishment for us.

Parents will vouch for the formative value of eating together as this is a great opportunity to instill important values in the lives of children. Listen to what a young man remembers about his family’s practice of eating meals together: “It was therapeutic: an excuse to talk, to reflect on the day, and on recent events. Our chats about the banal—of baseball and television—often led to discussions of the seriousness—of politics and death, of memories and loss. Eating together was a small act, and it required very little of us—45 minutes away from our usual, quotidian distractions—and yet it was invariably one of the happiest parts of my day.”

Such is the formative value of eating together. If kids are not used to talking to you about their day at an earlier age of 8 or 9, we can’t expect them to do it at 12 or 13. Yes, let us make a greater effort to have family dinners more often.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

For most of us, September 11th remains a lived experience. We have our stories of that fateful day that we might recall on this 22nd anniversary of 9/11. That is why we continue to keep up our annual tradition of the 9/11 Service that will be held tomorrow at 6:30 pm, here at St. Matthias. Thanks to the Fire Companies of Franklin Fire District # 1 who are hosting this service to honor the emergency service members who were killed on September 11, 2001, including our parishioner FDNY Firefighter John M. Collins, who graduated from St. Matthias School and Immaculata High School. Since this is held in our church at 6:30 pm, we will not have the weekly adoration tomorrow. I invite as many as possible to attend this memorial service as we have clear memories of this tragedy that left a deep wound and indelible mark on our nation’s collective memory.

But there is a whole new generation, born after 9/11, for whom 9/11 holds no memories. It has become a history lesson that could become folklore with the passage of time. That is all the more reason for us to keep this anniversary as an opportunity to enlighten our younger generation about this historic tragedy that struck our nation. They need to be present at the anniversary ceremonies so that they can understand the pain and agony – physical and emotional – of those who suffered and continue to suffer. I am asking our parents, especially those with children in St. Matthias School, to come tomorrow with their children to this year’s 9/11 Memorial Service at 6:30 pm.

I am grateful to Bill Cullen, a former fire Chief and John Hauss, Director of the Fire Prevention Office of Franklin Township and others who are taking the lead in organizing this important event.

Today is also ‘National Grandparents Day’ – a time to honor grandparents and grand-friends for their contributions to our families, neighborhoods and communities. You may remember we had already celebrated this in June with “the World Day for grandparents and elderly” that Pope Francis had instituted. It was on the Sunday closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. The US bishops Conference had postponed it to coincide with our national celebration of grandparents today — the Sunday after Labor Day. Celebrating it again is simply another reminder for us all to show greater understanding and respect to grandparents and elderly who are often ignored by many. It is an opportunity to publicly affirm the identity and importance of grandparents who play a vital role in families.

We know that Pope Francis has been championing the cause of all the marginalized of the society. He has condemned the “throw away” culture that tend to push aside the grandparents and the elderly. He has invited the world to respect them and learn from their wisdom. His exhortation is worth listening to: “From the elderly we received the gift of belonging to God’s holy people.  The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future. Let us honor them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours.  May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

Today I wish to share with you some miscellaneous items:

Outside the Church:

Sprucing up the front and sides of the church was done recently, and thank you to the many who appreciated the new look with assorted evergreen shrubs including goldthread cypress, green velvet boxwood, and blue junipers, besides assorted deer-resistant perennials including Russian sage, coreopsis, and ornamental grasses.

Inside the Church:

1) Floor cleaning: A thorough cleaning of the floor was done with the help of a new machine that we bought and so the floor looks as clean as it can be.

2) Two adoring angels on either side of the Tabernacle. These beautiful statues are cast in fiberglass and come from Italy. It is a very visible way to make the Tabernacle more noticeable as the presence of Jesus is what makes a Catholic church unique and different from other churches. Bible testifies to the role of angels in worshipping God: “Angels glorify God…. Bless the Lord O you his angels…” (Psalm 103:20). The seraphim continually praise God for his holiness (Isaiah 6:2–3), and so do the four living creatures (Revelation 4:8). Also in Isaiah chapter six, we see that angels worship not only with a sense of humility but also with a deep sense of reverence. They chanted before God’s throne (in Isaiah 6 and later on in Revelation 4), “Holy, holy, holy”. Having two adoring angels is a visible sign to evoke a sense of reverence for the Lord in the Tabernacle. Let us give due reverence to Jesus in our midst by respecting that area around the Tabernacle as a sanctuary, by bowing or genuflecting to the Lord whenever we pass the Tabernacle, and by avoiding socializing there.

Feeding on God’s Word: The Word Among Us is a respectable Catholic publication promoting evangelization and faith formation. Their monthly publication features uplifting and thought-provoking meditations based on the daily Mass readings. The September issue is on seeking to do the Father’s will, and the title is “I Must Be in My Father’s House.” Next week please pick up a copy for your personal use to feed on God’s Word each day of the month.

The commissioning of our new Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is today at the 10 a.m. Mass. The PPC has been meeting regularly to discuss and give recommendations to the pastor on matters concerning the well-being of the whole parish. PPC has a three-year rotation term of membership, with one-third retiring and one-third joining each year. Thus Anne Marie Francis, Rose Peng, and John Taylor are retiring while Sheila Tartaglia, Didi Molano, and Al Drabnis have joined as new members. Those who are continuing are Frank Rees, Marilyn Wegg, Stephan Busono, and William Isele. I am grateful to each of them for giving their time and talent to the good of our parish.

In today’s gospel, we see Peter confessing Jesus as the Messiah in response to that personal question Jesus asked: “Who do you say that I am?”  Whatever we do here at St. Matthias is meant to be an expression of our faith in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

 

Dear Friends,

Today we are very happy to welcome Deacon Enock Berluche Sr. to our parish for the Mission Appeal, as part of the Missionary Cooperation Plan assigned from the Mission Office of our Diocese. He is a permanent deacon serving at the Parish of Sts. Philip and James in Phillipsburg in various roles: spiritual director for the Legion of Mary, moderator for the charismatic prayer group, coordinator of the Eucharistic adoration, and other pastoral apostolates. He is co-coordinator of African-American, Black and Caribbean Apostolate. He preaches Mission Appeal for Franciscans in Action and Source de Vie organizations for Haiti Missions. We warmly welcome him to our community.

This Tuesday is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary – a Holy Day of Obligation. Catholics are questioned probably more about our devotion to Mary than any other matter of our faith. Referring to the historical development of this dogma both in the East and the West, St. John Paul II has said: “The first trace of belief in the Virgin’s Assumption can be found in the apocryphal accounts entitled Transitus Mariae [Latin, “The Crossing Over of Mary”], whose origin dates to the second and third centuries. There was a long period of growing reflection on Mary’s destiny in the next world. This gradually led the faithful to believe in the glorious raising of the Mother of Jesus, in body and soul, and to the institution in the East of the liturgical feasts of the Dormition [“falling asleep”—i.e., death] and Assumption of Mary. Although the New Testament does not explicitly affirm Mary’s Assumption, it offers a basis for it because it strongly emphasized the Blessed Virgin’s perfect union with Jesus’ destiny. There are, thus, passages in Scripture that resonate with the Assumption, even though they do not spell it out.”

We need to be convinced of a couple of points about our relationship to Mary:

1. Devotion to Mary does not mean that we worship her as many non-Catholics mistakenly think. Anyone can be devoted to another person, a career, a job or place; but that doesn’t mean it becomes your god.
2. Devotion implies a loyalty and trust in a person. We respect Mary as our human model of faith and heroic living that can help us navigate our own life’s challenges.
3. Both in the gospel and in all the Marian apparitions throughout the ages, she always calls us to her son Jesus Christ. Her message essentially is: “Do whatever He tells you”(John 2:5)
4. Excessive devotional practices have led to some misperceptions about Mary and so the Church has given us guidelines for a balanced Marian devotion based on Scripture and Tradition.
5. Hence the question we can reflect on this feast of the Assumption is: what is its relevance for us today? One answer is that it gives us further validation to our hope in eternal life, a truth affirmed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ who is the Risen Lord. Therefore doing “whatever He tells us” will lead us there!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal