Sunday gospels in the year of Matthew
The Deep End: A Journey with the Sunday Gospels in the Year of Matthew (Messenger Publications) » is the second volume on the Sunday gospels by theologians Tríona Doherty and Jane Mellett. The book is set in the Gospel of Matthew for Year A which presents the radical challenge of Jesus’ most famous sermon on the Beatitudes. It appealed to a people trying to find their way amid chaos and complications, and it opens up new possibilities for how people live today.
Dr Jessie Rogers, Dean of the Faculty of Theology in St Patrick’s Pontifical University, writes:
“Sometimes bible reading and reflection can become quite individual and ‘spiritualised’. Tríona and Jane are not going to allow us to fall into that trap. They help us see the connections between faith and life, both the big questions and the nitty gritty of the everyday.”
The authors encourage readers to engage in Lectio Divina (‘sacred reading’) with an introduction to this Christian practice as well as some background to the Gospel of Matthew. The book is divided into the different seasons beginning on the First Sunday of Advent on 27 November 2022, followed by Christmas, Ordinary Time (1), Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time (2), and the Season of Creation.
There is a one page reflection on each Sunday’s gospel, as well as an inspirational quote and a personal invitation to ‘go deeper’ in living out the gospel during the week. Each season also includes an introduction and there is a special Lectio Divina with Nature during the Season of Creation. There is an index of scripture references at the end of the book.
On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception during the season of Advent, the authors reflect:
“In Mary’s world, being found to be pregnant outside of marriage could bring severe punishment, even the death penalty. It’s a hugely precarious situation for a young girl to find herself in.
We remember today all the young girls and women who have endured condemnation and exclusion after becoming pregnant or giving birth outside of the accepted societal and religious norms.
We think of those who were ‘sent away’ to institutions and whose babies were taken from them without their consent. We remember all mothers who continue to face mistreatment and distress related to pregnancy and childbirth.”
With a focus on the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, the book offers a nourishing spirituality grounded in the Word of God.
Jane Mellett is the Laudato Si’ officer for Trócaire. Previously, she was a Parish Pastoral Worker for the Archdiocese of Dublin and has worked in the area of pastoral ministry for over ten years. Tríona Doherty is a journalist, writer and editor. Having worked in regional journalism for over ten years, she is currently editor of Reality magazine.
The Deep End: A Journey with the Sunday Gospels in the Year of Matthew by Tríona Doherty and Jane Mellett, with a foreword by Jessie Rogers is published in Ireland and the UK by Messenger Publications. Priced at €14.95/£12.95.
