From the Pastor – 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 28, 2020

From the Pastor – 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s readings take us back to some basics of stewardship living and demonstrate the genius of this way of life.

Our First Reading, from 2 Kings, shows us the necessity and power of hospitality. It recounts the story of a woman who showed loving hospitality to a visitor, inviting him to dinner with her family and arranging a room for him in their home so that he would have a comfortable place to stay during his travels through her town. She reached out to the man in a simple and practical manner to make him feel welcome and was rewarded in an extraordinary way.

In our Second Reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul reminds us of the power of our Baptism and how this sacrament makes us disciples. What does that mean for us here and now? St. Paul tells us very clearly: “You must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.” We must live for Christ! Nothing less will do.

Our Lord proclaims this same instruction in a rather shocking way in our Gospel passage from Matthew: “Whoever finds his life [by living for oneself] will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” But how do we lose our life? Precisely through loving actions towards others, loving them as if they were Christ. “Whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple… he will surely not lose his reward.”

The simple brilliance of stewardship living? Only our infinitely creative, compassionate God could conceive it! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Pastoral Pondering

Over the past several weeks, we have been striving to be able to provide sacramental ministry by being somewhat creative and doing those things that are recommended by the CDC and others. During the course of that same time, I have had discussions with those who will not come to Mass because everyone is not wearing a mask as well as those who will not come to Mass because they are offended by being asked to wear a mask. At the same time, we have been using enhanced cleaning protocols to kill germs, but even this is problematic for some who are sensitive to smells and chemicals in general.

Being caught in a “catch 22” is nothing new for the Church and nothing new for most pastors. Nonetheless, it can be frustrating when you are trying to do your best to address the situation before you. Being reminded that you can’t please everyone is helpful, but desiring the greatest possible access for people also weighs heavily. Suffice it to say that we are trying to do our best based on the current guidelines that we have. Mask wearing is recommended in general but required when a safe physical distance cannot be maintained. We will continue to monitor the situation and the changing guidance (sometimes daily) to make the most prudent and reasonable decisions as we move forward. We are discussing the possibility of having a “Mask-only” Mass that would provide for those who are especially concerned about this. We will continue to look at this possibility

Many questions have arisen concerning Perpetual Adoration. Our desire of course is to open the chapel as soon as possible. Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a great blessing and source of strength for our parish. Nonetheless, because of the chapel’s size, limiting the time of adoration and making it available in the church has been our practice for the last several weeks. As our schedule of weekday Masses returns to normal, we may need to move adoration into the Kerin Center. As soon as conditions allow, however, we will reopen the Adoration Chapel.

We have made some operating priorities as we move forward with reopening. Our first priority has been and continues to be offering sacramental ministry to our people. It is for this reason that other groups, gatherings and meetings are not being held on campus with the exception of some outdoor youth ministry activities. By phases we will gradually open the facilities up to more activities and apostolates; although, those activities that are specifically elder-focused may continue to be curtailed due to the risk that they pose for that population. Many of our councils and commissions continue to utilize technology for their meetings, and this has proven to be helpful and convenient.

Be assured of my prayers as we continue to navigate this strange new reality. Please continue to pray for me and the parish clergy and staff as we strive to address our current situation and move forward in faith, hope, and love.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - First Sunday of Advent

By John Putnam • December 2, 2025
Today we begin the beautiful season of Advent — a season of preparation. For what are we preparing? The celebration of the birth of our Savior, and the anticipation of His second coming. These are weighty tasks with eternal consequences. So, let us as Christian stewards make the words of the Prophet Isaiah our motto for the season: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.” In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it seems everywhere we turn we are pushed to spend more, do more, entertain more, and generally rush around at a frantic pace — all to create a “perfect” Christmas day. In contrast to this worldly pressure, the Church’s guidance to use these weeks as a time to focus on our spiritual lives can indeed seem like a mountain climb. But the intentional and wise use of the gift of time is exactly what the Christian steward is called to do, and with even greater intensity during Advent. How can we use our time to prepare for a holy celebration of Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25 and for his second coming at a date we do not know? We can push back against the world’s pressure to have the “perfect Christmas.” Scale back on the material kind of gift-giving, the complicated menus, the unessential trappings of the season so that we have more time for the spiritual preparations: Confession, weekday Mass, adoration, family prayer time, lighting the Advent wreath, acts of kindness. It may feel like a mountain climb, but in the end, we will be prepared to celebrate a truly meaningful Christmas, we will have become more like our Savior, and we will be ready for Him to come again. Let’s go climb the Lord’s mountain! © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 From the Pastor Advent brings a time of new beginning. A new liturgical year is upon us, but it is also a time to prepare our hearts for something – for the coming of the Lord. The first weeks of Advent focus on the Lord’s coming at the end of time, and the latter weeks of Advent focus on preparing to celebrate His coming at the Nativity. Both, however, are interconnected. The first coming of the Lord facilitates His coming into our hearts, which, in the end, facilitates His second coming to judge the living and the dead. The “in between” of these two comings is where time and eternity come together. We are called to live each day in expectation of His coming. We are called to hope for His coming and to expect it even when it seems long delayed. It is in this expectation that we must learn to live our lives. Daily life is messy and unpredictable. We must deal with disappointments, sickness and loss. Yet, we do so as people of hope who know that in these crosses, there lies ultimate joy because of the love of the Father who sent his Son to love us to the end. As we begin a new journey in a new liturgical year, let us do so with joyful expectation. Knowing that the end of the journey, if we are faithful, is paradise.

From the Pastor - Solemnity of Christ the King

By John Putnam • November 21, 2025
On this Feast of Christ the King, our readings show us that we serve the greatest of Kings, who is at the same time the humblest of Kings. Christ is the perfect model of servant leadership. And what an indescribable privilege that He has called us to be servant leaders — stewards in the work of advancing His Kingdom. In our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul describes the great power and dignity that characterize Christ the King. “All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together.” It makes you want to stand up and cheer. That’s our King! Yet, what a contrasting description of the same King we find in our Gospel passage, from Luke. Now we see our King nailed to the Cross. Everyone from rulers to soldiers, to the criminals on either side of Christ is mocking, sneering, and reviling him. They tauntingly urge him to prove His kingship by coming down from the Cross to end his suffering with a great show of power. “if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” But He does not. Amazingly, it is in this moment of seeming-weakness and humiliation, when all appears hopeless and lost, that the full breadth of his greatness as king is displayed. Though all things were created through and for Him — Christ chooses to live entirely for others, for us! What does this mean for us as his followers and stewards of His kingdom? It is precisely that our lives are not about us. They are about Christ and others. And we will advance his kingdom to the extent that we embrace this mindset: my life is not about me; it is about serving the King of kings. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025