From the Pastor – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 12, 2020

From the Pastor – 15 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, our Lord shares the Parable of the Sower who scatters seed on many different kinds of land. This is a wonderful analogy for the stewardship way of life, demonstrating the slow and steady, yet powerful effect this lifestyle will have on those who fully embrace it.

In this parable, some of the seeds land on a path where birds carry them off before they can begin to take root. Other seeds land on rocky ground with little soil. As soon as things begin to heat up, they get scorched and die. Then there are seeds that land on soil cluttered with thorns which choke the seeds just as they are beginning to grow strong.

Finally, there are seeds that land on deep and healthy soil. These seeds produce abundant fruit. 

This is where the stewardship way of life comes in. When we give the best of our time, talent and treasure to serve God and others, we create lives filled with that rare “good soil” needed for the Kingdom of God to thrive. 

How does this happen? Stewardship living removes the “rocks” of mistrust from our lives as we develop an unshakable faith that God will always provide for our needs. It clears away the “thorns” of worldly ambition that make us self-centered, fill us with needless anxiety and stifle our focus on God. Stewardship living requires a deep reliance on the Word of God and the sacraments which continuously nourish and fertilize the soil of our lives.

Let us deepen our commitment to this way of life, allowing the Sower to do His work in us, slowly and steadily. The Master Gardner will surely produce miraculous fruits through us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2020

Pastoral Pondering or Masks, Tyranny and Dark Chocolate

At this point we are already at the second Sunday in July. Mid-summer (June 24 th this year) is almost upon us. Still for me, it doesn’t really seem like summer. Except for the warm temperatures, things are pretty much the same as they were a month ago. More people are wearing masks, because that is what the Governor said people should do and many folks are still afraid to wander too far from their homes.

With my background in the natural sciences, I always want to see concrete data that supports decision making and recommendations. However, because this COVID was previously unknown the data has been scarce, and the recommendations have been all over the place. It’s hard then to know what one should do or, as a pastor, to know what to do for the whole. We are observing the Diocesan recommendations based on the CDC recommendations and the Governor’s executive orders, but I am more and more becoming skeptical of the data upon which these things are based.

Swiss Policy Research (swprs.org) has some interesting facts about COVID-19 that are worth considering. For example, According to the latest immunological and serological studies, the overall lethality of Covid-19 (IFR) is  about 0.1%  and thus in the range of a strong seasonal  influenza  (flu). The risk of death from a car ride is greater than the threat posed by the virus. And the list goes on. I share this because I do not believe we can always trust the information that we have been given, especially when many are still being told (outside of NC thankfully) that it’s not safe to go to church but completely safe to attend a protest or a Pride parade.

We Christians should never allow ourselves to become lemmings. We need to push back when there are contradictions in what we are hearing. Prudence and wisdom are always called for, but when the authorities lose credibility because of their own words and actions, it’s incumbent up each of us to start asking “what gives?” I’m not saying we shouldn’t wash our hands and take precautions, but we do need to start getting back to normal and opposing the tyranny of popular opinion and political narrative. Rather than turning to dark chocolate (my preference) and letting anxiety and fear rule our lives, we need to once again learn to live in the freedom that belongs to us in Christ Jesus (cf. Galatians 5:1).

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • August 7, 2026
Stewardship spirituality invites us to surrender control of our lives to God in grateful recognition that everything we have is a gift from Him. Today's readings remind us that God is always in control of His creation and His people. They also reveal what can happen when we fully entrust our lives to Him — in other words, when we embrace the stewardship way of life. When we take our eyes off God, we lose sight of the fact that all is gift. We begin to rely on ourselves instead of trusting in Him, and we fail to make our lives a grateful response to His generosity. Peter experiences this in today's Gospel from Matthew. Jesus sends the disciples ahead of Him by boat. Later that evening, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, and invites Peter to join Him. Peter steps out of the boat and begins walking toward the Lord. But when he notices the strong wind around him, instead of keeping his eyes on Christ, he begins to sink. Imagine if Peter had never looked away from Jesus. What an extraordinary adventure he would have experienced walking on the water with his Lord. The same is true for us. When we take our eyes off Christ, His countless blessings, and His faithful love for us, we begin to sink as well. But when we embrace the stewardship way of life, loosening our grip on our time, talents, and treasure and placing our trust in God, life becomes a great adventure rooted firmly in the One who never fails us. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026. Pastoral Pondering First of all I want to thank all who participated in our meal packing effort last Friday and Saturday. What a gift it is to be able to come together as a community and unite for the sake of our brothers and sisters in need. These events cannot happen without the efforts of numerous people. To each of you who made it possible, THANK YOU! As we move into August and our lives begin reorienting from lazier summer months towards fall, it is an opportunity to reflect on the blessings that we were afforded to rest, refresh, and renew during these past weeks. Hopefully, family were able to spend some quality time with each other without the demands of school, work and the day to day demands that impact many of us.  For me, I was privileged once again to participate in the Te Deum Peace Pilgrimage to Fatima. This year we were able to invite and sponsor nine (9) seminarians from various dioceses including Charlotte, NC; Charleston, SC; Cleveland, OH; and Youngstown, OH. They along with a wonderful group of non-seminarian pilgrims were able to grow in our love for the Lord and Our Lady. It was a true blessing, and I was so impressed with the seminarians who were a part of our pilgrimage family for our time in Portugal and Spain. Along the same lines, please pray for parishioner Mark Pressley who is entering St. Joseph College Seminary. Mark’s family has been a part of the parish for many years. Keep him and the other nine (9) young men who are beginning their formation this fall.

From the Pastor - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • July 31, 2026
Today’s readings should inspire the Christian steward with deepened gratitude for our God, who loves us with both fierce and tender love. We must make an intentional response each day, returning love for Love. In our Second Reading from Romans, St. Paul reminds us that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of Christ. No anguish, distress, persecution, famine — and we might add illness, financial hardship, family struggles, or uncertainty about the future — nothing can keep our God from loving us. God holds us securely in the palm of His hand. And yet, this reassurance is only the beginning of God’s gifts to us. Our Gospel from Matthew recounts the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. This miracle foreshadows the gift of the Eucharist, where Christ feeds us not simply with bread, but with His own Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Notice how the Gospel begins. "His heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick." What generous and compassionate love our Lord shows. But even that is not enough for Him. He remains with the people, teaching and ministering to them until evening. When the disciples suggest sending the crowds away to find food, Jesus instead invites them to become part of His plan. He tells them to feed the people, then miraculously multiplies the few loaves and fish they offer. What a privilege it was for the disciples to participate in Christ's work. That same privilege is ours as Christian stewards. Let us respond with grateful hearts to such amazing love. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants,