Easter 2008

Greetings to the Sisters, Brothers and Friends of Saint Matthew Church! On the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Spring equinox, Christians throughout the world will gather together in churches and cathedrals, in chapels and other sacred places, to pray, to remember, and to celebrate. We will gather at this time, as we have done year after year for nearly two millenia, to celebrate and proclaim the great mystery of our Christian Faith that, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!"

At the very heart of our Christian spirituality and witness is the person of Jesus our Savior and the events associated with His life, death and resrrection, which have become for us the means of our salvation and the renewal of the wole world. His suffering and death culminating in His glorious resurrection and ascension into Heaven is the very center from which all the grace and hope of the Gospel message emanates

From the very first generation of eyewitnesses until this present generation of ours,Christianshave realized that, in some mysterious way,these events in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem centuries ago have made salvation possible for all of humanity.

In carrying the cross, Jesus carried all of the fears and pain that burden our hearts. By embracing death, Jesus took hold of that which holds humanity most helpless. By rising from the dead, He opens the door to a new kind of life for humanity: an immortal life, a life not subject to death, a divine life, a life of endless possibility and creative potential; a grace-filled life, a life that is immersed in the greatest power in the universe, the irresistible power of divine love.

Through the gift of baptism we, in some mysterious way, participate in the saving event of Christ. In baptism we die with Chist. In baptism we are raised with Christ to a new, eternal, and spiritual life. Because of our participation through baptism in the death of Christ we possess that sure and certain hope of resurrection in the world to come. "In dying Jesus destroyed our death. In rising He restores our life,"that is, the divine life that was always intended by God to be ours. This is the Paschal Mystery. Jesus died because humanity dies; humaity is raised to eternal life because Jesus was raised from the dead, never to die again.

Together, as a Christian community, we will renew and re-live this great Paschal Mystery as we gather to proclaim the joyous news that Jesus has conquered death. Together we will celebrate the reality of our salvation through the blessing of fire, the lighting of the Paschal candle, the blessing of the baptismal waters, and the singing of the Exsultet. Once again, we shall together partake of the blessed sacrament of Christ's body and blood in our Eucharistic meal which we continuously celebrate until He comes again in glory for the final redemption of all the world.

Join with us this year as we observe Holy Week and remember and re-live the great mystery of Crist's love that has become our salvation.

In the bonds of Christ's love,

Bishop Peter Hickman
Pastor

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October 18, 2004

Greetings to all the Brothers, Sisters, and Friends of Saint Matthew Church!

"We are here for the lost sheep of Christ's church!"

These words came to me once again as I was thinking and praying about the purpose and mission of our community of faith. Saint Matthew Church. Over twenty years ago, the Holy Spirit, with these words, had put it within my heart to reach out to the marginalized and abandoned sheep of the Lord's flock.

Over the years, church leaders developed a system of church governance that ultimately led to the exclusion of great numbers of Christ's people from the ministry of the Catholic Church. These would include the divorced and remarried; priests who decided to marry the women they loved; qualified women who felt the call to priestly ministry but were denied merely because of their gender; and Christians of other traditions despite the fact that they share with us a common baptism and faith in Jesus.

We have responded to this leading of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, to seek out those sheep that have been scattered. As it is written in the book of the prophet Ezekiel:

"I myself will be the shepherd of the sheep, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, I will bring back the strayed and I will bind up the injured, the sick I will heal, and I will strengthen the weak. I will feed them with justice. I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged."

I believe that Saint Matthew Church has become an instrument in the hands of our Good Shepherd in seeking the scattered sheep. We have done so by maintaining our faithfulness to the essentials of the Catholic faith tradition while at the same time breaking down the walls of prejudice and exclusion in order to realize a renewed Catholicism that is truly inclusive, where "All are Welcome" and where each one has a place at the table of Jesus. We have created a sacred space where the gospel of Jesus takes precedence over canon law (man-made rules).

We have brought this message of hope to those who have felt abandoned by their own church. We have provided a spiritual home for Catholics and Protestants alike who have experienced the pain of judgment and rejection by other religious institutions.

I think of all those who have found solace and comfort in our church during times of great pain and failure. Together we have learned of the joy of God's compassion and forgiveness. We have felt the healing touch that comes from a praying and caring faith community. We have experienced the joy of full acceptance of a love that is non-judgmental and, more importantly, unconditional.

Saint Matthew Church has been the place where our spirituality has been reawakened and where the Gospel of Jesus Christ has captured our hearts and imaginations. We have received so much from our church. For many of us, Saint Matthew has been the place where God has touched and healed our broken hearts. I, too, have experienced the healing and forgiving touch of our faith community when you stood by me in my times of suffering, loss, self-doubt, and failure. I am truly indebted to you and all those who have made Saint Matthew the loving and sacred place that it is.

But it is really God who has done this. Saint Matthew Church was merely the instrument that God used to pour out his compassionate love and grace upon us. It remains a wonder to me that God chooses to use imperfect human vessels to be the means by which we receive His saving love and healing grace!

I am convinced that God is calling upon us to deepen our commitment to this continuing work that has been begun among us. God has made it clear to us in the Gospel of Jesus that He wants all of us, each and everyone of us, to bring this hope and love to countless others. Each of us has a part! We all possess unique God-given gifts and abilities that we now must share for the good of all. Moreover, God wants us to give of ourselves. This giving of ourselves will be our prayer—a prayer that will be acceptable to God especially when it comes from our open hearts!

It is my joy, and that of my wife, Mirella, to recommit our lives to you, our beloved faith community, and to the noble endeavor entrusted to Saint Matthew Church. We do this out of love for you and out of gratitude to God. This action has become our prayer.

Will you join with us now, my Brothers and Sisters, in committing yourselves to this vision of compassion and justice for all of Christ's people? Will you make this vision and mission of Saint Matthew Church your own? Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of so many others? If so, I look forward to being a co-worker with you in the gathering of all of God's flock. Therefore, I am asking you, and each member of our faith community, to pray and to search your hearts and to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your own discernment as to what God is calling you to do in your own participation in the ministry of Saint Matthew Church.

In a few days, you will be receiving a letter from our Stewardship Ministry Team that will have specific suggestions on the many ways you can participate in the ministry of your church.

May God continue to bless you and all those you love with an abundance of peace, grace and love!

Very Sincerely Yours,

Rev. Peter E. Hickman

Pastor

1111 W. Town and Country Road, #14, Orange, CA 92868-4615

Phone: (714) 647-1770

Fax: (714) 647-1784

Web Site: www.saint-matthew.org