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2026 Is the Year of Matthew

by | Nov 30, 2025 | Bible

Year A: Gospel according to Matthew – Message and Purpose

Matthew longs to have his readers be maturing disciples of Jesus, who is the promised Servant Christ, so that they may enjoy life in His kingdom together forever. The Christ is the Messiah, the Saviour of all.

God’s Son, Jesus, is the “Servant Christ”. Christ or Messiah (1:1, 16:16). Servant (12:17-21 cf. 3:16-17).

 

As Jesus, comes near, so does God’s kingdom (4:17), which is God’s unopposed, sovereign, saving rule in the world. It may be described as ‘God’s people in God’s place, under God’s rule and blessing’.

 

To be a disciple is summed up in four commands of Christ = turn, trust, travel and tell.

1. Turn to Christ from sin, realign yourself with God’s rule, 4:17b

2. Trust in Jesus, the Son of God, the Servant Christ, 11:28

3. ‘Travel’ with Jesus Christ along the way of the cross, 16:24

4. Tell others the good news about the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, 28:19a

 

Only Jesus can make discipleship possible. He must serve us before we can serve him.

“He will save his people from their sins’ (1:21 cf. 9:18, 20:28, 26:28).

 

Matthew re-presents Mark. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of David, the Servant of God.

At the heart of Jesus’ ministry and teaching lie three key concepts:

Fulfilment of Scripture; God as Father; the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Matthew is a book for the not-yet-Christian. For the Christian,the way forward is to learn to obey all

Jesus’ commands and teach others to do the same (28:19-20a).

In Matthew, the disciple is called to share the worldview of Jesus; to live a relationship of faith with someone who is more than a teacher; to community; to mission.

 

Disciples make up the community called church. Only Matthew, of the four Evangelists, uses the word church, which is used for the assembly of the children of Israel in the OT. In Matthew, the community of the disciples represents the renewed, restored people of God sharing in his mission.

 

Matthew and faith into the future:

-Focus is on the person of Jesus as the presence of God.

-Focus is on the Kingdom as an expression of God’s will.

-Focus is on community built on reconciliation and mercy.

-Focus is on the connection between faith and life.

Moving from simply believing in Jesus to believing as Jesus believed.

Our Next Faith Community Pilgrimage

by | Jun 30, 2025 | Pilgrimage

Our next faith community Pilgrimage

Remember we went on pilgrimage last year out to the National Shrine to Blessed Nicholas. It was an outing that we made together in solidarity and in faith. We travelled together, we worshipped together, we prayed together, we broke bread together. We enjoyed together. As far as I know, it was a time loved by all, a time of prayer and growth.

Well, we are now in the midst of a Holy Year, which calls us to be Pilgrims of Hope. Pilgrimage is at the centre of any Holy Year. Some of us are truly blessed and get to go on pilgrimage to Rome or do the el Camino. Many of us do not get that opportunity, but pilgrimage remains open to all of us.

During this Holy Year, four churches in the archdiocese, as in every diocese, are named as places of pilgrimage. One of these is the historic St Joseph’s parish church in Ayutthaya, where we are planning our next pilgrimage for Saturday 16th August.

This Holy Year has been full of so much befalling our world. Our beloved Pope Francis died. I do miss him. We now have Pope Leo XIV. We are so blessed with good and loving Popes. Now our world is falling into the trap of continual and growing wars. We just don’t learn. It just leaves me speechless. Pope Leo reminds us not to fall into the trap of just accepting war as normal. There is the continuing, deteriorating condition of our planet. I also know and acknowledge the various life challenges we all face. We have much to pray for, to give thanks for and to do it together. So let us go on pilgrimage again.

John P Murray osa – 30th June, 2025

Here is a link to an article about the church.

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