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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
On this Lords Day,
the Sunday Lectionary moves us
to a semi-continuous reading of the Gospel according to
Matthew. Many of you know that one of the reforms called
for at the Second Vatican Council was a greater sharing of
the Sacred Scriptures. One of the best gifts of the liturgical
reform was the Lectionary for Mass. During Ordinary
Time, especially, a three-year cycle was developed in
which one of the Synoptic (from the Greek word synoptikos
meaning “viewed together”) Gospels is featured. This
year it is Matthew’s Gospel.
Although the Gospel according to John has a pride of
place in the Church, particularly during the Easter season,
the Gospel according to Matthew has pride of place
as being the “first” gospel in the canon of the New Testament.
One of the reasons for this is that Matthew’s Gospel
was used in the earliest centuries of the Church to
teach and form those who wanted to become members of
the Church – the catechumens. And over the next six
Sundays we will find out why as we will hear Jesus the
Teacher in what has been called “The Sermon on the
Mount.” It calls for a radical change of life as well as revealing
the basics of Christian living, which became a staple
in forming new Christians in the way of life they were
asking to take on.
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a Jewish-Christian
audience and often uses quotes from the Old Testament
(the Jewish Scriptures) to show how Jesus has fulfilled the
promises God made there. These next several Sundays
will be a challenge for us to once again embrace the fullness
of Jesus’ teachings and live the Christian life he proposes
so that the Kingdom of God may be experienced
even now.
Love, Father Tom