Author: Nathalie Godet

6th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Many of us will remember Pat Leposa who was our staff member, doing ministry as Spiritual Director for twenty-four years, bringing much peace to the many under her spiritual guidance for discerning God’s will in their lives. In 2020, she decided to retire, due to failing health, and moved out of New Jersey to be with her family. Here’s an excerpt from her farewell message to the parish which was published in the bulletin then:

“It was twenty-four years ago that I began my ministry here at St. Matthias as your Spiritual Director. Coming to know and love the good people of this faith community has been my privilege. Now, I am excited to be moving on to the next chapter of my life. Even as my heart is filled with the joy and purpose that the last twenty-four years has blessed me with, I am deeply saddened at the prospect of leaving St. Matthias. As I go on to join my family in Montana, I am grateful for the countless ways that you, my St. Matthias family, have enriched me and strengthened my faith. It is though the experience of Spiritual Direction that I have been blessed to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. I will miss you.

If you are moved to draw closer to the God who loves you, and to seek out a new perspective in your life, then I urge you to consider Spiritual Direction. Inspired by the Spirit, it is through your visits with your spiritual advisor that you will become more aware of the many ways that God works in your life. Your visits will open your eyes, and your heart to enable you to embrace His love. It will provide you with the spiritual perspective to celebrate God’s goodness, even as you meet the challenges in your life. This investment in your spiritual health can be a life-changing experience.”

All those who knew her, and those of us who worked with her in the parish office, were saddened to know that she passed away on December 30, 2023. She was an embodiment of gentleness, compassion, listening, understanding, care and prayerfulness. She touched countless lives through her service including opening her home to a refugee Vietnamese family, Cursillo Christian retreats, Kairos prison ministries, and Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer in Watchung, NJ, where she was the first retreatant! She was most fulfilled through her 38 years as a Mercy Associate with the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and the first layperson to be a member of the NJ Associate Leadership Team. Pat also contributed to a CD of spiritual songs called Tender Mercy to raise funds for Mercy ministries in New Jersey.

We had announced her passing away and prayed for her at all the weekend Masses here at St. Matthias. I had offered a Memorial Mass at the House of Prayer in Watchung last month where her family and friends gathered to pay her tributes. This Monday, the 8 am Mass is offered in her memory. We gladly welcome her son John and other family and friends who plan to be present for this Mass. (John told me that he is flying in from North Carolina to attend this Mass!) The Parish Community of St. Matthias remains ever grateful to God for the gift of life and ministry of Pat Leposa. May she continue to intercede for us from her heavenly abode.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

5th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

I wish to highlight two feasts we keep this week. Tomorrow, April 29, is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a very fascinating figure in church history for many reasons. When we realize that Christian theology has been largely shaped by men, her contribution to theology is very significant. No wonder that the Church not only canonized her but also declared her as one of the few women doctors of the church.

Catherine was a Dominican Tertiary, living in the 14th century in Siena, Italy.  The corruption in the church and in the society during her day caused her great distress.  She loved both but speaking truth to those in power was one of her great gifts.  Catherine was passionate for the reform of the church and did not hesitate to challenge the church and she did bring about reform in the church. How did she do it when she did not even have much formal education?

The answer is her deep mystical spirituality. She knew Jesus on a personal and intimate level. Her interior life was so aligned with the divine that she was able to speak the truth of God to anyone – no matter how high that person was in the ecclesiastical or political ladder. Thus she was bold enough to instruct popes and cardinals, as well as adjudicate quarrels among statesmen.

“No more simony, no more unbridled luxuries, no more dealers in blood, no more swindlers in what ought to be the temple of God,” St. Catherine wrote to Pope Urban. After meeting with Catherine in Florence, Pope Urban, in his pomp and worldliness, turned to his advisors in amazement. “This little woman confounds us,” he said. “For while we are afraid, she stands without fear, and by her persuasions, she gives us courage”. Catherine inspired confidence in the pope by reminding him of his vocation. When writing to Pope Gregory IX during the infamous Avignon crisis, she called him out on a private vow he had made to return the papacy to Rome.

These vignettes from her life show us her radical witnessing to the prophetic message of the Gospel. If you can read her biography, the details will amaze you. She is model to all of us and an honor to all women in particular.

This week we enter the month of May with the feast of “St Joseph, the Worker.” Human labor is one of the important means of achieving holiness. It was Pope Pius XII who instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955, in order to foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work, humankind both fulfills the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gen 2:15) and to be productive in their labors. Saint Joseph, the carpenter and foster father of Jesus, is but one example of the holiness of human labor. Without the spiritual element of work, we will succumb to its drudgery, and consider our labors as toil. But when we order our work to praise God, we experience, in some way, the joy and blessedness of labor which Adam experienced in the Garden of Eden.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

4th Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ as the focus is on Jesus who has accorded that beautiful title of ‘Good Shepherd’ to himself. Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations when the Church throughout the world prays for and promotes vocations to priesthood and religious life. We have been doing this often. Our Parish Vocation Ministry has been promoting vocation as a call to holiness to which God has called everyone.

Even as we pray for more young people to answer the call to priesthood and religious life, we need to realize that shepherding is a vocation that is limited not only to priests, deacons, or religious men and women but also to parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors and others who guide, care for, nurture and lead those under their charge. Each of these shepherding roles has many challenges. Look at parenting for instance. Parenting is a divine call by which you become co-creators and sustainers of life with God. Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5) and the Bible is very clear about the responsibility of both father and mother in bringing up children with the right values. The Bible demands several things from Christian parents in their duty of parenting. Some of these are:

Availability – morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Involvement – interacting, discussing, thinking, and processing life together (Ephesians 6:4)

Teaching – the Scriptures and a biblical worldview (Psalm 78:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:10; Ephesians 6:4)

Training – helping a child to develop skills and discover his/her strengths (Proverbs 22:6) and spiritual gifts (Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12)

 Discipline – teaching the fear of the Lord, drawing the line consistently, lovingly, firmly (Ephesians 6:4; Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15-17)

Nurture – providing an environment of constant verbal support, freedom to fail, acceptance, affection, unconditional love (Titus 2:4; 2 Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 4:29-32; 5:1-2; Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:8-9)

Modeling with Integrity – living what you say, being a model from which a child can learn by “catching” the essence of godly living (Deuteronomy 4:9, 15, 23; Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; Psalm 37:18, 37).

That is a tall order! What makes it all the more difficult is the hostile cultural environment in which Christian parents find themselves fighting to protect their children. Many of the cultural values clash with the values that parents want to instill in their children. Hence, we need to support, help, appreciate, and encourage all our parents, as we pray for more good priests, more good deacons, and more good consecrated men and women. For, as Saint John Paul II said: “Jesus has a specific task in life for each and every one of us. Each one of us is handpicked, called by name by Jesus! There is no one among us who does not have a divine vocation!”  Yes, a vocation to holiness is for all of us.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

3rd Sunday of Easter

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

We are now pretty familiar with the tradition of having a number of adults receiving one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) through our RCIA  (or OCIA, the new name that the Bishops have proposed). We had a total of eleven people receiving these at the Easter Vigil this year: Jason Olmedo-Hernandez, Phyllis Carbone, Gigi Fortuna-Clase, Beverly Gilliam, Norvin Gilliam, Maxwell Lumax, Claudia Roque, Chelsea Lopez, Amanda Fortuna Clase, Josh Lumax and Alexis Lumax. We congratulate these neophytes. Now, that is a word we don’t hear often. A “neophyte” (its Greek root means the newly planted) is a term used for those who have been initiated as full members of a religion like Christianity or Judaism or one who has joined a religious order. In our context, a neophyte is one who has been incorporated into the fullness of the life of the Church as the Body of Christ. Now these new members enter into the final phase of the RCIA process which is known as Mystagogy, which simply means learning about the mysteries. The RCIA instruction no.244 says: “This is a time for the community and the neophytes together to grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through meditation on the Gospel, sharing in the Eucharist, and doing the works of charity. ….” 

What is interesting is that the Church’s focus of the mystagogy is the Community into which these new members have been incorporated! It means that mystagogy is a time for us all to grow in understanding the paschal mystery. The entire purpose of the RCIA process is to lead the participants into a relationship of communion and intimacy with Jesus. As the community of St. Matthias, we are an important part of mystagogy.

Our RCIA process is coordinated by Anne-Marie Francis and Mary Frances Reavey with their teammates Gondee Tibay, Mercy Ekwere, Dee Christmas and Carmen Calvimontes.  They have been doing an amazing job every year as they guide these men and women in the ways of our faith. I wish to thank them sincerely for rising up to the challenges and carrying out this ministry of faith formation and evangelization of those who wish to be part of the community of faith in Jesus Christ. They are true models and torchbearers of faith.

Let us remember that we all are called to be models and torchbearers of Christian witness and experience to the neophytes as well as to all those we meet in our daily living. The Sunday Mass is key to a successful mystagogy because the three ways mentioned above – meditation on the Gospel and sharing in the Eucharist which leads us to the works of charity – are meant for the whole community’s full, conscious and active participation.

I have a request: you may know some adults who may not be baptized, or who are baptized but have not received Communion or Confirmation. Why not speak to them about receiving these Sacraments of Initiation? Why not invite them to join our next RCIA class? That is another sign of you becoming a witness to Jesus.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Divine Mercy Sunday

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

I’m sure that all of us noticed a much larger number of people attending the Holy Week services here at St. Matthias. The Easter Vigil was exceptionally crowded – in comparison to the previous years. Why do more people attend church? According to a new Public Religion Research Institute survey on American religion, 90% of those polled cited a desire to feel closer to God as their explanation for attending church. Other common explanations include to experience religion in a community (80%) or to instill religious values in young people (79%). No matter what, it was very gratifying to see so many of our people present at the Church services in person. We continue to pray that the new life and new hope from the Risen Christ will bring more blessings and a greater awareness of the need for God in our life.

Easter is such a foundational feast of our faith, that the Church continues to celebrate it for about seven weeks. The power of Easter has transformed the face of the earth as believers began to increase and Christianity began to spread all over the world. It is unbelievable but true that after the preaching of Peter: “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.” (Acts 2:41). Besides the preaching of the apostles, the early Christians themselves were the best missionaries to their own neighbors and friends, sharing the power of the Resurrected Jesus to bring about change of hearts. It continues to happen in our own times.

The importance of Easter is highlighted by our church’s instructions to celebrate Easter Sunday as one long period of eight days or Octave. The Universal Norms # 22 says: The first eight days of Easter season make up the octave of Easter and are celebrated as Solemnities of the Lord. The days of the Octave form the “early hours” of this “great Sunday,” with accounts of the Lord who rose early in the morning, and the early preaching of the disciples who were witnesses to his resurrection.

Today, the eighth day of Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday – a feast instituted by St. John Paul II, to realize the depth of the mercy of God for each one of us personally. Sister Faustina who had revelations about this desire from Jesus wrote the words of Jesus in her diary entry # 206: “On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy.  I shall heal and strengthen them”. People all over the world, including our parishioners, began the Divine Mercy Novena on March 29. Today after the 10 am Mass, there will be a Divine Mercy celebration with praying the Rosary in our Church.

May the Risen Lord help us experience God’s mercy in ourselves and may He help us to offer the same mercy to others, thereby becoming true witnesses who will attract others to our church and our faith in Jesus Christ.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Jesus Christ is Risen! He is truly risen! These are the traditional greetings of Eastern Rite Catholics on Easter Sunday, and I address you with these words of faith. May the blessings of the Risen Christ be with each of us as we joyfully celebrate the history-changing Resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose death on a cross for our sins preceded his resurrection and multiple appearances to the apostles after his resurrection.

Why is Resurrection so important? If Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again three days later, then it changed everything. It is the only instance of a human being raising himself from the dead in human history. Why is Resurrection so important for us Christians? St. Paul gives the best answer: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is our faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Yet, there have been skeptics who questioned the resurrection. There are many reasons to repudiate their doubts. You can read all about that elsewhere in this bulletin, under the heading: “Why we believe in the Resurrection.” But I loved what Wolfhart Pannenberg, the German philosopher, said: “The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: First, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe it happened, then you have to change the way you live.” Belief in the Resurrection forces us to change the way we live. That’s what happened to Paul who changed from being the fiercest persecutor into the staunchest promoter of Christianity.

Easter will become meaningful to us when we realize that Jesus lives among us whenever we gather in His name. Not only for the Eucharist or for Lenten small groups, but also when we come together for every association or ministry meeting and whenever we organize any parish event – both of which are in abundance here at St. Matthias. He is present in our homes when we gather as a family not only for meals or prayer, but also for any family event. When we reach out to the less fortunate with help, we lift up the hand of Jesus. When we listen to one who is troubled, we make Jesus present to that person. In these and many other ways, we give witness to the mystery of Jesus living among us. Indeed, we become the Body of Christ for the world. Let us experience more of that Easter Joy!

Easter Blessings to you and to your dear ones!

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Palm Sunday may remind us that the Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial is coming to an end, but this week is extremely important for all Christians. The greatest focus of the week is the Passion (suffering) and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events that led up to it. The “Chrism Mass” will be on Tuesday in the Cathedral where the Bishop, together with all the priests, will commemorate one important event of the Holy Thursday – the institution of the Priesthood. It is during this Mass that the Bishop will bless the sacred oils used for the Sacraments. Besides Fr. Lancelot and myself, Mike Lanyi, our dedicated Sacristan, and his wife Debbie, who also is very committed to ministering in our parish, will represent our parish. They will bring some of these blessed oils back to our parish.

“Easter Triduum” is a term we hear more frequently this week. It simply means “a three day festival” of prayer and worship, beginning on the evening of Holy Thursday and ending on Easter Sunday. A short note on each of these days is given on page 5 of this bulletin. My earnest request to you, dear brothers and sisters, is that you make every effort this week to attend these sacred events. Can we consider this week as a time of grace for all of us as a family and so make sure that we participate in these worship services even by making some sacrifice this week, by rescheduling other activities, by rearranging other plans and thus giving priority to this week? You will see the grace of God flowing into your lives and into your homes.

You heard me inviting you to attend the Easter Vigil Service, at 8 pm on Saturday, March 30, especially if you have not attended one. Some think it is way too long and so avoid it! Listen to a Catholic layperson who worked in a parish office and thought the same way but had a very different experience when attended it:

“For many years I avoided the Easter Vigil like you avoid people who have a stomach virus.  At some point in my career as a parish staff and minister, I needed to attend.  I was not really looking forward to it.  I had heard it was very long, with many readings and a long homily. Nevertheless, duty called and so off I went. What an amazing experience it was to attend the Easter Vigil.  Yes, it was a bit longer than a usual Mass but containing such beauty and richness that when it was over I thought truly heaven and earth had met that night.”

Why miss such a wonderful opportunity? I must add that the music will be truly upbeat and uplifting. Joan Seamon and all our music ministers have been spending so much of their time and talent into helping us have a truly enriching experience through music for every Mass but in a very special way for the Easter Vigil. Our RCIA class will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter Vigil. It will be a great opportunity for you to welcome them into our community as full-fledged members during the Easter Vigil, which is full of signs and symbols of our faith giving us an ethereal experience of sacred mysteries. Hence, I request you to come and experience the beautiful liturgies of the Holy Week, but in a special way the Easter Vigil that the Fathers of the Church termed “the mother of all vigils.”

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

5th Sunday of Lent

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

 

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday we had a day of Self Care Fair. It was a wonderful experience with representatives from 16 different organizations explaining their mission and giving away their flyers and other stuff. There were breakout sessions with various demonstrations and presentations on various aspects of being a better you in the library and the classrooms. Msgr. Joseph Kerrigan did a breakout session on Centering Prayer. What made this Self Care Fair very unique was that it was fully youth initiated and led by a total of 23 Teens – grades 8th to 12th from 4 parishes – St. Augustine, Kendall Park, Holy Family, New Brunswick, St. Joseph, Bound Brook, and our own St. Matthias. Thanks to our Deacon John Radvanski in a very special way for his supervising this event with the help of Sue Lenczewski, our SMYLE Coordinator. There were many other adults who served as Mentors and/or Professional Mental Health Advisors to whom we offer our gratitude. We wish to gratefully acknowledge the following organizations and agencies that participated: Catholic Charities, Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, NAMI NJ, Safe & Sound, Community Police Alliance of Somerset County, Franklin Township Stigma Free Council, Freedom From Fear, Operation Code Red, Mental Health First Aid -Empower Somerset, NJ Harm Reduction Coalition, Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s Community Health Services  (Nutrition), The Center For Therapy & Counseling Services, 988 Suicide Hotline,  Caring Contact, Franklin C.A.N. Franklin Cops and Autism Network, RWJ Barnabas Community Health from New Brunswick, and Zufall.

The presence of three Therapy Dogs brought extra cheer to all. There were generous donors (local vendors and individuals) who brought food and drinks to both the visitors and volunteers; they deserve our thanks in a special way. Deacon John Radvanski will be writing about this event in an upcoming issue with more information about and acknowledgment of all those involved/participated. It was truly a unique event for us, showing the holistic approach to our total well being. This event has given us an impetus to have more such events so that our mental, physical and emotional health will be brought into focus together with the spiritual health in the Church.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day today! And Happy St. Joseph’s Feast in two days! Lavish celebrations for these two feasts, especially for St. Patrick’s Day, are typical. But it is very important to reflect on the spiritual dimension of each feast.

On the feast of St. Patrick, the church focuses 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 is the right time to read the biography of St. Patrick and be inspired to witness to gospel values in our life.

The Feast of St. Joseph is a higher ranking Solemnity in the Liturgical calendar of the Church. Therefore the Mass celebrated on March 19 is very much like a Sunday Mass with Gloria, and all the readings. The solemnity in the church is certainly followed by the solemnity at the dinner table too! St. Joseph’s silence in the gospels is an indication of his interior disposition of openness to listening to God – something we all can benefit from.

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

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal

 

Family Matters – Join Us As We Empower Catholic Parents to Live Out The Mission

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Family Matters is a new initiative of the Center for FaithJustice in partnership with RENEW International. It is a process for nurturing discipleship among parents and caregivers as they enrich their own faith lives to more vibrantly pass on Catholic social tradition to their children.

St. Matthias will be piloting this program for families/children this year! Join us!

Parents and families will have access to:

 

  • Online resources
  • In-person gatherings at their parish
  • Home based activities
  • Mentorship from other Catholic parents in your parish
  • Access to Spiritual Direction
  • Retreats and Service opportunities with other families

Interested in joining? We will begin by hosting listening sessions for interested parents and families this spring!

To sign up for the listening session email Dee Nann

With you on the journey!

Center for FaithJustice, RENEW International

4th Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday

Posted on by Nathalie Godet

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we hold the Self Care Fair in our cafeteria. We have been promoting this event together with the “Empty Bowls Franklin” that takes place at the Double Tree hotel today. In this context, I think it is very fitting that we ask an important question: Should the church be concerned only with the spiritual health of the parishioners? Traditionally the answer we hear may be ‘YES.’ But the answer from the Bible is ‘NO!’ The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There are many other references to show how the Bible is interested not only in our soul-health but also in the health of our body and mind. Here are just a few:

Genesis.” 1:29 “And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.

You shall have them for food.”

   3 John 1:2 “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well”.

   1 Timothy 5:23: “Do not go on drinking only water, but also use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

 Proverbs 12:25 “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”.

  Jeremiah 30:17 “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’”

  Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”.

This inter-connectedness of mind, body and soul that the Bible teaches is corroborated by many researches. Look at some of their conclusions:

  1. Acidity is caused not only by diet errors, but more dominated because of stress.
  2. Hypertension is caused not only by too much consumption of salty foods, but mainly because of too much worries about future.
  3. Cholesterol is caused not only by fatty foods, but the excessive laziness or sedentary lifestyle is more responsible.
  4. Asthma not only because of the disruption of oxygen supply to lungs, but often sad feelings make lungs unstable.
  5. Diabetes not only because of too much consumption of glucose, but selfish & stubborn attitude disrupts the function of the pancreas.

Today’s Self Care Fair organized by our Youth Ministry/SMYLE – in collaboration with St. Augustine’s Kendall Park, Holy Family, New Brunswick, and St. Joseph, Bound Brook – is truly an effort to be holistic in our faith formation. The God of the Bible wants our growth in all life dimensions: physical or biological, mental or psychological, moral and social. The disciplines of medicine, psychology, even organizational development. Luke 2:52 captures in the life of Christ this holistic concept: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men”  It is this holistic growth that we are promoting here in our parish through various events and activities. I invite us all to participate and be more holistic in our thinking and living.

Your brother in Christ,

Fr. Abraham Orapankal