Proclaiming Faith - Themes in Matthew

Themes in Matthew, Cycle A

The gospel of Matthew, used in Cycle A, has two focuses. First, Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. Second, the Kingdom, or Reign, of God is at hand. Keeping these in mind, here are some of the things that you may observe about the gospel in Cycle A.

Matthew's beautiful use of Old Testament passages helps people understand Jesus' Jewish heritage and the fulfillment of God's promises.
Matthew shows special concern for the Church. He alone of the evangelists uses the word "church." In fact, many have thought of this gospel as a type of handbook for those who would be leaders and catechists in the Church.
This gospel addresses special challenges of putting Jesus' teachings into practice in everyday life, especially when facing new times and cultures. The community from which Matthew's gospel comes was struggling to bring the message of Jesus to a new and ever-changing world. For this reason, contemporary Christians are often drawn to Matthew's gospel because they face similar circumstances.

To understand the message of Matthew's gospel, you can turn to the beginning and the end of this first book of the New Testament. There you will find Matthew's special message concerning Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. In the first chapter of the gospel, Jesus is called Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." And in the very last verse of this lengthy book, the risen Christ promises his disciples, "I am with you always."

This beautiful message comes from a gospel that was traditionally thought to have been written by Matthew, the tax collector turned apostle. Like the other evangelists, Matthew has a special story to tell, and the gospel will proclaim Jesus Christ and his message in a unique way. It contains the angel's announcement to Joseph, the story of the Magi, the genealogy of Jesus, and a beautiful presentation of the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Of course, Matthew's gospel has even more to offer.

The name Matthew means "gift of God." It is exciting to have the gift of this gospel during the entire liturgical year in order to awaken a deeper love for Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, "God with us."