Throughout the Sundays of Year A, the Gospel of Matthew is proclaimed in the liturgy. The major part of this book is devoted to commentaries and reflections on the Gospels for Sundays and major feasts likely to occur on a Sunday, during the Year of Matthew.
Before beginning the Gospel commentaries, Francis J. Moloney outlines the narrative design and the central theological concerns of the Gospel of Matthew. This is followed by a survey of how the Gospel of Matthew is used throughout the Ordinary Sundays of the Year.
Matthew’s message is as important today as when the Gospel was first written. Jesus perfected all of the former promises of God, and has made it possible for his followers to share in the fullness of God’s gifts. While the Church struggles to live according to the program set by Jesus, we are promised that he is always with us in the midst of our frailty.
Francis J. Moloney, SDB, AM, FAHA, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1940, and joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1959. He was ordained a Priest in 1970, and has degrees in Theology, Biblical Studies, and a doctorate from the University of Oxford. He was a member of the International Theological Commission to the Holy See (1984-2002) and has published widely. He has held major academic positions at the Salesian Pontifical University (Rome), Australian Catholic University, and the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). From 2006-2011 he was the Provincial Superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Australia and the Pacific. He is currently a Senior Professorial Fellow at Catholic Theological College, in the University of Divinity, Melbourne.