Matthew is a catechetical genius. Even though Mark’s gospel is older by a decade or two, Matthew deserves to be first in the New Testament. He arranges his material in such a way that the structure of his gospel becomes clear and the material lends itself to easy memorization.

Bishop Edward K. Braxton invites everyone to a special liturgy at 9 a.m. Nov. 2 in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the cathedral in Belleville.

I love mail, whether it’s snail mail or email. Old-fashioned letters are usually a great way to stay in touch with friends and relatives without creating another electronic “footprint” that must be managed, updated and eventually purged.