If you are among those who have moved to the Farmington River Valley this summer ... Welcome!

Our parish has been in the heart of Simsbury for more than a century and it's our people that have made it so special. We would love to have you join us! Our weekend Masses are at 5 pm (Sat Vigil), 8 am, 9:30 am and 11 am. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8 am (Mon-Thurs).

Mass is the central celebration of our faith, but we have many offerings which can be seen as you explore our website. To contact us -- to register or if you have questions -- click here or call 860-658-7627. Or stop by our Parish Office in the Magowan Center.

And, of course, make sure to introduce yourself!

~ Fr. Matera

The Cross Of Jesus Christ

Christ, the Image of the Invisible God

            For the next few weeks, we will be reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Paul wrote this letter in response to a crisis.  Some of his converts were seeking new and different ways of experiencing God apart from their faith in Jesus Christ. In the face of this crisis, Paul reminds the Colossians—and us—of something we already know: the fullest experience of God is Jesus Christ; there is no need to look elsewhere.
            Listen to what Paul says to the Colossians: Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the visible appearance of the God we cannot see. To see Christ and to hear his word is to hear and see God. We cannot see the face of God, nor can we hear the voice of God, but in Christ we hear God’s Word and see the face of God’s mercy.
            Paul goes continues to write: For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. The world in which we live came into existence nearly 15 billion years ago at a moment scientists call “the big bang.” In the moment of creation, God created the world in and through Christ. This is why St. Paul writes: Christ is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Before the creation of this awesome cosmos, Christ already lived in and with God. Before the world came into being, Christ was with God.
            Paul goes on to say that Christ is the firstborn from dead. This means that Christ is the first to have risen from the dead; he is the first to have entered into God’s new creation; he has gone where we hope to follow. In Christ, Saint Paul writes, all the fullness of God’s divinity was pleased to dwell. And so, when we meet Christ, we meet God; when we live in Christ, we live in God.
            Finally, Saint Paul says that all things in this vast and infinite cosmos have been reconciled to God through Christ’s death on the cross. Whether we know it or not, whether we accept it or not, we have been reconciled to God in Christ, the beginning and the end, the origin and goal, of God’s creation. God has reconciled us in Christ and calls us to be reconciled to God and each other in Christ.
            It is hard for me to imagine a more beautiful statement of who Christ is and what God has done in Christ. In these words, I find the meaning of who Christ is for me; I find the purpose of my life. In these words, St. Paul assures me that this vast, beautiful, expansive universe finds its goal in Christ Jesus. And so, the more science teaches me about this infinite cosmos, the more I marvel at God’s love for us in Christ. What we are seeking and looking is already present in Christ.
            Do not be led astray by those who promise the fullness of life in this or that new fad or gadget. Do not search for what we already have in Christ. The goal and purpose of our life, the joy and wonder we so desperately seek is Christ the image of the invisible God!

- Fr. Matera