St. Matthew Parish Website: www.stmatthewrc.org Pastoral Staff St. Gregory the Great St. Matthew Our Lady Of Charity 224 Brooklyn Ave. 1123 Eastern Pkwy., 1669 Dean St., Pastor Brooklyn, NY 11213 Brooklyn, NY 11213 Brooklyn, NY 11213 Fr. Frank Black Tel 718- 773-0100 Tel 718- 774-6747 Tel 718- 774-5100 Fax 718- 773-4198 Fax 718- 953-4895 Fax 718- 778-3335 In Residence Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Bishop Guy Sansaricq Mass Schedule: Mass Schedule: Mass Schedule: Priests Mon.– Fri 8:30am; Sat.Vigil-5pm Monday-Friday 7:30am & 9:00am Sunday: Rosary 9:00am Fr. Thaddeus J. Abraham Sunday 11:30am Saturday 8:00am & 8:00pm 9:30am-Praise & Worship Saturday: Reconciliation-7:30 pm Msgr. Pierre Andre Saturday: Reconciliation-4:00 pm 10am-Mass or by appointment Pierre Office Staff: Fr. Ralph Theodat Office Staff Sunday: Secretary: Patricia Romain Secretary: Rosanne Barber Ext.100 English-7:30am & 11:30am D.R.E.: Ethel Andoh-Menson D.R.E: Monica Flemmings Spanish 9:30am; Kreyol 1:30pm Office Hours: Deacons Office Hours: Monday-Friday:10am-6pm Roy George Monday - Friday: 8:00am-4:00pm Office Staff Nickie Colon Secretary: Sharon Andrews Catholic Cemeteries– D.R.E.: Gloria Gonzaga 80-01 Metropolitan Ave. Middle Village, NY 11379 Tel:718 – 894-4888 Office Hours: Monday:10:00am-4:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday & Saturday: 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday: 9:00am-4:00pm January 17, 2021 ♥ SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Second Sunday of Ordinary Time: Temples of God Adam needed Eve and Eve needed Adam to overcome the loneliness of the human condition. They needed to Corinth was the ancient equivalent of Sin City. Most of give themselves totally to each other. And here is the the people of the pagan world engaged in blatant im- message behind these frescos: the only way that we morality, but some of the worst were those in Cor- can find ourselves is by giving ourselves away. We are inth. They even had their own saying to justify their be- made in the image of God. God is a Trinity of Love, havior. No, it was not, “What happens in Corinth stays Father, Son and Spirit, forming a community of self- in Corinth.” It was, “Food is for the stomach and the giving love for all eternity. We are created in the image stomach for food.” It was like saying, “You have no of this love, in the image of God. When Adam and Eve choice: you gotta eat, and you have no choice: you’ve gave themselves to each other, they felt no got to behave immorally.” Paul tells them and us that shame. They could be naked. Shame came when they we are so much better than that. Our bodies belong to began to use each other. the Lord. We are members of the Body of Christ. We are far more than animals with nothing but animal in- St. John Paul II spoke about this in the lectures that stincts. We share in the Body of Christ. He goes on to make up the Theology of the Body. He said that human use a very important phrase: our bodies are Temples of happiness depends on self-giving, not self- the Holy Spirit. If we are immoral, we are sinning assertion. That is the difference between love and against our own bodies, sinning against our union with lust. Love makes a gift of oneself to another for his or Christ. her good. Lust is taking from another for personal pleasure. For us Catholics, sexual morality is more than That is a beautiful concept: we are Temples of self-control. It is self-mastery. For us sexual morality is the Holy Spirit. the mastery of the desire that allows us to give our- selves to another in a way that affirms the other. Mar- That is why we avoid immorality, particularly sex- ried love is the human reality that best images the com- ual immorality. It is not a matter of some sort of Catho- mitment, the intensity and the passion of Christ’s love lic no no, rules that a person might not understand but for the Church, for whom He laid down His Life. does his or her best to follow. This whole area of moral- ity is far more important than that. It goes to the heart of Now back to Corinth and to ourselves. Using whom we are. We are Christ and He is ours. So, we do others to fulfill selfish wants is no different than the our best to fight off our temptations because we are sexuality of animals. It is imposed, instinctive and united to Christ. He flows through us. We are not ani- merely physical. We are far more noble than that. We mals. We are so much better than that. have been created for love, love freely given and freely received, love which is based on a commitment for Let us take a mental tour of Rome, specifically life. In this light, St. John Paul II speaks about chastity the most beautiful chapel in the world, the Sistine not as a matter of what we cannot do, but as a virtue chapel. The chapel is beautiful not because on its archi- that frees us to love another person as a person, not an tecture, it is rather plain that way. It is beautiful because object. That is why we speak about the chaste love of of the artwork inside it. Here in this relatively small build- husbands and wives for each other. The married give ing attached to St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican com- their deepest selves totally to each other, entrusting plex in Rome, we come upon frescos by Michelangelo, their emotional center to each other. You here who are Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perrugino, and others. Every married are free to love each other as Christ loves us. year, hundreds of thousands of visitors gaze up at the ceiling at Michelangelo’s depiction of creation and the Let’s reflect again on Paul’s message to the first sections of the Bible. The cardinals who meet in Corinthians, and us. “Do you not know that your body is conclave to pick a new pope also do so under these a Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have magnificent frescos. The paintings are often shocking to from God, and that you are not your own? For you have people who depict Catholics as sexually inhibited been purchased at a price, the Body of Christ on the prudes. The frescos are, as you know, nudes. They cross. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” emphasize the beauty of the human body with God him- self as the source of this beauty. In the frescos, the This is not the way of the world. But we are creation of man begins with God touching Adam’s hand called to holiness, to be separated from the world. and concludes with the creation of Eve. Sexual morality itself is one of the many ways that we express this holiness. It takes a lot of determination and courage to be a Catholic. It takes determination and courage to love. BREAD & WINE, CANDLE, BLESSINGS MASS INTENTIONS WEEKLY READINGS ST. MATTHEW: MASS INTENTIONS Sun January 17 I Sm 3: 3,1-10,19; 1 Cor 6:13-15,17- Saturday 5:00pm– For the students of the 20: Jn 1:35-42 January 16 School of Religion & their families Mon Jan 18 Heb 5: 1-10; Mk 2:18-22 8:00pm– For our parishioners Tue Jan 19 Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28 Sunday 7:30am– B’day blessings Monefa Wed Jan 20 Heb 7:1-3,15-17; Mk 3: 1-6 January 17 Delauney by Hinds & Delauney family Thu Jan 21 Heb 7:25—8:6; Mk 3:7-12 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 9:30am–R.I.P. Alejandro Espinal by Fri Jan 22 Heb 8:6-13; Mk 3:13-19 wife, Edelina Espinal Sat Jan 23 Heb 9:2-3,11-14; Mk 3:20-21 11:30am– B’day blessings Dorothy John by Charmaine Noel & family OUR LADY OF CHARITY: MASS INTENTIONS BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS: Anthony Inniss, Kora Ella 1:30pm–Birthday blessings Suzie Barber, DeShawn Jackson, Jean Griffith– Sandiford, Fenelon by mom, Orlissia Fenelon Leah Daniel, Christine Spellman, Anthony James, Monday 7:30am— Thanksgiving for Lisa Romain, Cashmere Blackwell, Haley Huie, January 18 Stephanie Baoudy by mom, Marie Quinton Herrera, Theresa Lewis, Yolande Laurence Boisette De Sandies, Alfonso Heslop, Destiny Joseph, Shawn Spellman, Jaden Duncan, Carlos Duncan, 9:00am – In loving memory of Prisca Arlene Jackson, Canone Robinson, A’ Ameerah Ayala by Martha Marin Robinson, Olivia Henry, We pray to the Lord. Tuesday 7:30am – B’day blessings Krissee January 19 Patrick by Floe Patrick PARISH PRAYER: For our parish, that the three 9:00am – In loving memory of communities of St. Matthew, St. Gregory the Great Eduardo Toledo on his anniversary and Our Lady of Charity, learn how to merge and by Rosa Toledo grow together spiritually and become financially sound as three and yet one, We pray to the Lord. Wednesday 7:30am– May God’s precious blood January 20 cover President elect Joe Biden , Vice President elect Kamala Harris & TODAY’S MASS : Birthday mass for Kathy Ann, Lisa their families. & Wendy Romain, Jaden , Carlos & Sharon 9:00am– R.I.P. Jean R. & Francine Duncan, Judah Francis, We pray to the Lord. Paul by Rudy Almonor Thursday 7:30am– Peace , love, kindness, & ALTAR BREAD & WINE: January 21 unity in our hearts & throughout the We pray to the Lord.