Saint Matthew's Church A Roman Catholic Community

Saint Matthew's Church
A Roman Catholic Community

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Weekend Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM
Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 AM
Full Schedule of Services
Weekly Bulletins
Ministry Schedule

Pastor's Message

One of the seminal books in the way I have thought about God is entitled: God, A Biography by Jack Miles. Published in 1995, this book looks at the Jewish Tanahk, our Old Testament but arranged in different order, and traces the development of God as if God were the protagonist of any great book. In other words Jack Miles looks at God in the Old Testament simply as a character in a novel and describes how that character develops and changes over time. It is a fascinating exploration to see how God changes throughout the books of the Tanahk.

I have always been intrigued by the idea in Genesis that we human beings have been made in the image and likeness of God. How can we know that? We can only know God through our own limited understanding of the world and of God through the ways God has revealed God's self to us (revelation). Isn't it equally likely that we have created God in our human image since that is the only way we have to understand anything, i.e., by comparing and contrasting it to what we know and think we understand? God, A Biography asks us to consider how much of the God of the Old Testament we have created from what we understand of ourselves and how much is of God's revelation.

On this second Sunday of Lent we are invited into two Biblical scenes that invite us to try and understand what we can of God while allowing us to glimpse the great mystery that ultimately is and will always be our God. The first scene from our first reading from the Book of Genesis has Abraham, our Father in the faith (and Father of the faith for Jews and Muslims too) and God making a covenant. This covenant is bloody and visceral. It has Abraham and God walking through animals which have been sacrificed for the occasion by cutting them in two and setting each half against the other. Then Abraham and God walk through the center of these animals to indicate that if either Abraham or God break this covenant between them (God and God's people) may they be split in two like these animals! We are told that God designed this ritual of covenant for Abraham. Did God? Or is this an ancient human ritual that we have applied to God to indicate the power and the unbreakable nature of this relationship between God and us?

The Gospel scene is the familiar transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. This scene has Jesus transformed, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. Peter, James and John were mesmerized, astounded, confused and frightened as Jesus transfigured appeared with Moses and Elijah. This scene invites us to recognize the vast and glorious mystery that we encounter as we come to know and grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are invited beyond our narrow understanding into a wordless and miraculous experience of light and change and mystery.

Human beings are always reaching to better understand our world and to reach for God. That is what faith does as we try to understand God who will ultimately always remain a mystery (fides quarens intellectum). God has revealed God-self to us in Jesus Christ and on this holy mountain of transfiguration invites us into so much more.

Fr. Chris

Seasonal Messages

LENTEN ACTIVITIES

Earth: Our Common Home: A workshop presented by Sr. Linda Neil, CSJ on Sunday, March 24, 3-4:30pm
See the Parish Events page for more information.

Healing Earth with Laudato Si: A workshop presented by Sr. Linda Neil, CSJ on Sunday, March 31, 3-4:30pm. See the Parish Events page for more information.

Mary’s Way of the Cross: Presented by All Saints Catholic Church’s “Angels to Each Other”
Friday, April 5, 7pm. See the Parish Events page for more information.

Earth Song by M. Honors, CSJ