25th Sunday
75th Anniversary, St. Matthew Parish
September 21, 2024
Miserando atque eligendo
Years ago, a Jesuit priest in Argentina was proposed to become a bishop. This priest had been a leader among his fellow Jesuits, indeed had served as the Provincial Superior. He was courageous in dealing with challenges within the Society of Jesus and also in addressing societal issues such as economic inequality. That priest’s name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Jesuits, however, normally don’t become bishops, and true to form, the Jesuit Superior General objected to Fr. Bergoglio’s becoming a bishop. His objections were overridden and the rest, as they say, is history. But perhaps this history explains why Bishop Bergoglio, later Pope Francis, chose as his motto what Scripture says of the calling of St. Matthew: miserando atque eligendo – having mercy, he called him.
Jesus looked on the tax collector, Levi or Matthew, with the eyes of mercy, and proceeded to call him to be a disciple, an Apostle, and an evangelist. That call to discipleship and to evangelization forever changed Matthew’s life. From that moment on, he abandoned his former way of life, followed Christ, learned from the Savior, absorbed the meaning of his words and deeds, forged them into a Gospel, and ultimately gave his life for the sake of One who had looked upon him with the eyes of mercy and chose him.
St. Matthew Parish
For some 75 years, St. Matthew Parish, Northwood, has stood as a place where Christ’s grace and mercy remain alive and active, where many who experience the truth and mercy of Christ, also experience God’s call to conversion, to discipleship, and to service.
Like many parishes, St. Matthew’s was founded in a period of rapid growth. In 1951, the school was built and worship was conducted in the school. Soon a rectory and convent were built, and in 1964 this church was dedicated. Yet the construction of buildings does not begin to tell the whole story. From the start, St. Matthew’s was noted for its robust parish activity but also its involvement in the wider community – issues such as housing stabilization, racial justice, outreach to the vulnerable, and care and concern for immigrants, and others who are marginalized. A 1978 T.V. special highlighted how the school welcomed non-Catholic black children – a legacy that continues to this day at Cardinal Shehan School and St. Francis of Assisi School.
In the midst of all this, many whose names are lost to history experienced the mercy of God, the call to conversion, and like Matthew, the patron of this parish, they spread the Gospel in way that are hidden from view but seen by merciful eyes of the Savior.
Leadership
Mention has been made of the founding of St. Matthew’s. Today we also pay tribute to those who have guided it through the years, including the legendary Msgr. Claire O’Dwyer (also founder of the retreat house) as well as Fr. Joe Muth and Fr. Matthew Buening who are with us today. Thank you for your devoted leadership and service!
We also recognize members of the laity who, then and now, led, supported, and sustained ministries for which St. Matthew’s is known. Often, the call to discipleship and service is heard and answered by those who experience hospitality, as also the light and love of Christ on the part of the entire worshipping community. Again and again, the call of St. Matthew plays itself out in our day: having mercy, the Lord calls new generations of disciples. And all of us, the baptized, have a role to play in extending the Lord’s call to conversion, discipleship, evangelization, and service.
The Future
It goes without saying that St. Matthew’s now enters into a very different era. Pope Francis often says that ‘it is not an era of change but the change of an era.’ That is certainly true as the Church of Baltimore looks to the future. As the result of the Seek the City process, St. Matthew’s is the “seated parish” for six northeast parishes. This will call for extraordinary openness and discipleship on everyone’s part.
For in this process there are no winners and losers. In the Gospel, Jesus chided the Twelve for arguing among themselves who among them was the greatest – and this in the face of Jesus’ prediction that he, the Son of Man, would be handed over, killed, & would rise from dead. “If anyone wishes to be the first, he should be the last of all & the servant of all.”
Those are words that should ring in our ears, as St. Matthew’s doesn’t simply welcome new parishioners, but collaborates with parishioners of the other parishes in forming a new parish, a new community of disciples that will be marked by mutual love and respect, and will be newly dedicated to the mission of evangelizing the neighborhoods in northeast Baltimore. This will require prayer, conversion of mind and heart – not only individually but communally, what Pope Francis calls “pastoral conversion” – ordering everything in the life of the parish towards mission. This will take patience, and humility, indeed, the child-like humility Jesus enjoins on all of us who are his disciples.
This process will not be easy and will take time – and in this regard, I wish to thank most sincerely Fr. Patrick Carrion and Fr. Evan Ponton for their leadership in bringing together the northeast parishes into a new community of faith. Thank you Fr. Carrion and Fr. Ponton!
Renewal of Mission
Let us not see this as merely as downsizing or as an administrative measure. No, it is a call to renewal and to mission founded on Pope Francis’ vision set forth in The Joy of the Gospel where he tells us that structures, schedules, customary ways of doing things must not get in the way of the mission of spreading the Gospel. Instead, our communities of faith must be radiating centers of mission for, as Pope Francis teaches us, “encountering Jesus brings joy, freeing [us] from sin, sorrow, and loneliness.” The Gospel raises our horizons to the joy of eternal salvation and at the same time is an immense humanizing influence on ourselves and on the broader society where we live, work, and minister.
Miserando atque eligendo. In his love and mercy for us, Christ is again calling us to conversion, to discipleship, to the mission of spreading the Gospel. May this anniversary be for us a moment to hear that call anew and to respond with joy, courage, and love. May God bless us and keep us always in his love!