The Catholic Community of Saint Matthias in Somerset, NJ
Parish Mission Statement
We, the faith community of St. Matthias, formed in the spirit and mission of Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic tradition, gather in the celebration of the Eucharist to give witness to the presence of the Risen Lord in our lives.
As a diverse people journeying together in faith, we are growing in awareness of the pain and joy of our brothers and sisters and desire to live in a spirit of repentance and reconciliation.
As disciples, rooted in God's Word and sacraments, we are awakened to the needs of others and share our time, treasure and talent in our faith community and beyond.
Empowered by the Spirit, we meet the challenges of the Kingdom of God and move forward in God's justice and hope.
Mass Schedule
REGULAR MASS SCHEDULES
Weekend
Saturday/ 5:30PM
Sunday/ 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:30AM, 12:00 Noon, 5:30PM
Weekdays
Mon. - Fri./ 8:00AM
Reconciliation
Saturday: 11:00AM - 12:00 Noon
Children's Liturgy of the Word
Alternates between Sun. 9am and 10:30am each week
Sign Language Interpreted Mass
Sun. 10:30am each week
Food Collection
1st Sunday of month all Masses
From the Pastoral Staff
From the Pastoral Staff
Updated 6/15/2013
Dee Nann
“Her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; therefore she has shown great love”(Luke 7:47)
How do you make amends when you know you have hurt someone deeply? Sometimes you can hug or kiss and make up with the hurt person. But at other times it may not be possible to repair the damage to the ones directly affected. Today’s Gospel captures
a scene in which a woman who was known as sinner, and who had experienced forgiveness, pours out her joy and gratitude towardJesus in lavish demonstrations of love.
The rest of the woman’s story is lost to us. We do not know her name or where she came from or any other details of her life. We donot know what kinds of sins she had committed, or how she met Jesus.
We have only one small slice of her life, a moment in which she takes advantage of the open door for poor people to partake of the scraps of a banquet, and she enters the home of Simon to seek out the one whose kindness and love had set her free. She spots Jesus, and in an extravagant gesture of love, she mingles her tears ofjoy with precious perfume and anoints his feet.
Scripture scholars remind us that this act is open to misinterpretation.
Simon, the host, immediately harbors judgmental thoughts. He is certain in his knowledge that the woman is a sinner, and he is unaware of the forgiveness she has experienced. He is just as certain in his judgment of Jesus: he cannot be a prophet. Much as the prophet Nathan used a parable to bring King David to repent of his murder of Uriah (today’s first reading), Jesus tells Simon a parable aimed at getting him to repent of his false judgment and to open himself to the forgiveness Jesus offers.
The point of the parable is easy to grasp: great love flows from having been forgiven much. While Simon easily grasps this in story form, we are left to wonder if he got the point when Jesus brings his attention back to real life and asks him to look again at the woman. Jesus retells what he saw: great gestures of love outpoured that sprang from having received great forgiveness. He contrasts her great capacity to receive forgiveness and give love with Simon’s weak capacity and invites the Pharisee into God’s expansive love.
As the story ends we don’t know how Simon responded. Did he accept Jesus’ offer, or did he join his table companions in murmuring critically about Jesus’ ability to forgive? The story turns the question toward us as well: How do we perceive forgiven sinners? How do we ourselves respond to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and love?
Peace and blessings,
Dee Nann
10 Things Pope Francis Wants You to Know - John Allen, Jr.
Pamphlets can be purchased at http://www.liguori.org/10-things-pope-francis-wants-you-to-know.html.
Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
Follow this link for an updated list of donation needs and volunteer opportunities.
Christ Alive in His People - 2012 Bishop's Annual Appeal
Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,
In the coming months, our diocesan family will join the universal Church in celebrating the Year of Faith—a time of “particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith” as announced by Pope Benedict XVI. It is an invitation to deepen our personal relationship with Christ and to explore anew Sacred Scripture and the Church documents which provide a sure compass on our journey. Strengthening our own faith will, in turn, allow us to joyfully and courageously proclaim the Gospel to family, friends, neighbors and society by living out the everyday moments of our lives with faith, hope and love. With rekindled spirit, together we become Christ Alive in His People.
Interview with Jeannine Hill Fletcher on US Nuns and the Vatican
Jeannine Hill Fletcher, a professor of theology at Fordham University, provides historical context and analysis on the recent rift between the Vatican and Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group that was created in 1956 to establish a collaboration between Rome and U.S. nuns. In April, the Vatican released a report concluding a four-year study of the LCWR, and criticized them for a "radical feminist agenda," among other things. In response, a group of nuns, supported by scores of Catholics around the country, organized a bus tour around the country to highlight their good works.