IHM Pre-Lenten Lectures "With a Twist" to Focus of Gospel of Matthew

In preparation for the solemn season of Lent, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish will once again host a series of Pre-Lenten Lectures “With a Twist” starting Monday February 7 and continuing for the two following Mondays.

Paul Gibbons, a Lecturer on Sacred Scripture at Seton Hall University and Chairman of the Sr. Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies, will present a series of three talks on the Gospel of Matthew in the  Fr. Byrne Auditorium, immediately beneath the Main Church.  All the lectures will begin at 7:30pm.  They are free and open to all.

The “twist” this year lies in the fact that Matthew’s primacy in the New Testament canon rests not on his backround – he was both an observant Jew and reviled tax collector – nor on when his Gospel was written relative to other New Testament works, but rather on his unique ability to link evolving Catholic belief to Old Testament belief and tradition.  Catholicism was thus presented as a logical progression from existing Jewish thought.  With Matthew’s Gospel serving as a scriptural focal point for this year’s Lenten season, the lectures should prove to be particularly timely in the leadup to Easter.