From the Pastor – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 15, 2019

From the Pastor – 24 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s readings focus on the personal, passionate and merciful love of God, which should fill us with unending gratitude to Him. This gratitude is the fuel that keeps the stewardship way of life rolling along.

In our Second Reading, from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, we find a grateful Paul who says of himself, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated.” St. Paul is well aware of the sins he has committed. But this does not hold him back from ministry. Rather, it makes him all the more grateful to be God’s steward. How encouraging to know that this is true for us, as well. Our past sins, and even our present struggles, do not disqualify us from becoming God’s grateful stewards.

Jesus gives us several poignant illustrations of His merciful love in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. Let us focus on one in particular — the story of the lost sheep. He asks, “What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine… and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

The logical response is no one! It simply does not make sense to spend time and energy searching for one lost sheep when there are so many others to tend to. But God’s logic — God’s mercy — defies human logic. And who is the lost one? It is every one of us when we stray away from God through sin, great or small.

What gratitude we owe to such a personal, passionate, loving God! Just think, even our sins, once forgiven, become a source of fuel for our stewardship way of life as we reflect with deep gratitude on the powerful mercy of our Savior. ©Catholic Stewardship Consultants

Pastoral Pondering

I want to thank all of those who attended, and especially those who assisted with the Eucharistic Congress last weekend. It is such a wonderful event and a tremendous opportunity to come together as a local Church to celebrate faith and to offer God fitting worship and praise.

Last week I discussed the mission of the parish, why we exist. This week I want to focus on the two principal bodies that help me as pastor implement that vision, the Pastoral Council and the Finance Council. In order to understand the roles of these two councils, it’s helpful to understand how the Church understands parish. Canon law understands a parish to be, in general, a territory that embraces all of the Christian faithful who live within that territory which is entrusted to a pastor who is responsible for its pastoral care. Usually, when we think of a parish, we think of those who are registered or attend the parish. Actually, however, the Church envisions the parish as including everyone who live within the territory, whether registered or not and whether Catholic or not. The parish exercises this responsibility through works of social justice and sharing the message of the Gospel.

While the pastor is especially entrusted with leading the mission of the parish, he does not carry out this task in isolation. Every member of the Christian faithful, the baptized, have a responsibility of sharing in the mission of the Church and fulfilling the role of the parish. This task is especially expressed in the work of the Pastoral and Finance Councils.

The main role of the Pastoral Council is to bring concerns that affect the whole parish to the pastor’s attention. The Council also develops and implements a Parish Pastoral Plan through which those things that impact the whole parish are addressed.

The Finance Council assists the pastor in the administration of parish temporal matters. The universal law of the Church requires every parish to have a Finance Council. The Council is especially responsible for supporting the pastor in his stewardship of parish resources while being accountable to the parish and the Diocesan bishop. This accountability is primarily carried out through regular review of parish finances and regular reporting of those activities to the parish and the Diocese.

The Pastoral and Finance Councils work cooperatively to implement the goals and objectives outlined in the Pastoral Plan. The Finance Council does this through guiding the budgetary process and insuring that the parish budget is a faithful expression of the values set forth in the Pastoral Plan of the parish.

Over the years I have found both of the Councils to be invaluable in assisting me to carry out the pastoral mandate entrusted to the pastor. While some do, most pastors do not have the expertise to fulfill all that the Church expects of him. Hence, the assistance of the laity who have various talents and charisms is essential to effective pastoral ministry.

Our Pastoral and Finance Councils here at St. Mark are a great help to me. The members offer insight and advise that I have found to be invaluable. The ability of the Council members to collaborate with staff in implementing the pastoral plan is really the key to insuring that we, as a parish, are being faithful to why we are here. John Benson is the chair of our Pastoral Council and Coley O’Shaughnessey is the chair of our Finance Council. If you have questions about either council or would be interested in serving in the future, please feel free to reach out to any one of us.

From the Pastor

From the Pastor - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • January 16, 2026
Today’s readings provide clear and inspiring reminders of the most fundamental aspect of our identity — that of servants of our most high and holy God, His modern-day disciples, and stewards. John the Baptist recognized the holiness of Jesus and the response due to Him when he encountered Christ in person on the day they met at the Jordan River. His response, which we read in our Gospel passage from St. John was, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world… He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” What a powerful description of our Lord and the place He should rightfully have in each of our lives. He is truly our Savior, the only one who can free us from our sinfulness. We are utterly and completely dependent on His power, love, and mercy. Therefore, He truly does “rank ahead” of us; he deserves to be first, above all other priorities and plans in our lives. Let us examine our daily lives and encourage our children to do the same. Does the way I spend my time reflect that God comes first? Do prayer and weekly Mass, regular confession, and time with my family “rank ahead” of everything else on my calendar? Do I use my talents, skills, and energy to serve my family, parish and community in thanksgiving and recognition that God’s kingdom ranks ahead of any other goals or ambitions? Do I spend my money and use my material possessions to glorify God? Challenge questions, to be sure. But questions worthy of our high calling as Christian stewards offered a glorious mission in service of our Lord and His kingdom. What will our response be? © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As I write this, I am just getting back from the Holy Land Pilgrimage with more than 20 of our seminarians. Spending the Octave of Christmas and celebrating the New Year in the Holy Land was very special and being with such a close-knit group was especially heartening. One of the questions that was posed before the pilgrimage began was, “Father, is it safe to go over there?” I can say without a doubt that it is safe to visit the Holy Land. We had no issues. What was sad was to see the Christian community suffering because of the lack of tourists. If you have the opportunity to go to the Holy Land, especially with Christopher Cross, I encourage you to go. The next scheduled trip is in March with Father Martinez. There are still slots available. We began the New Year on the Mount of Beatitudes with Mass and Holy Hour. One of the seminarians noted that it was amazing to the sermon of the Lord in the very place where He gave it while He was there on the altar in the monstrance. Another highlight was having two Masses in the Holy Sepulcher itself. Because of the size of the tomb, many in the group had to participate from the anteroom. One of the seminarians noted that it touched him deeply when the priest came out of the tomb to distribute Communion. “Literally, the Lord was coming out of the Tomb to give Himself to us.” For me personally, the Mass that we celebrated in Bethlehem in the Church of the Nativity complex was very moving. We celebrated Mass in the Chapel of St. Helena on the Feast of St. John the Apostle, just a short walk away from the grotto of the Nativity. The seminarians provided the music for the Mass, and it was “otherworldly”. I could feel the Lord’s presence and was overwhelmed with the reality that we were celebrating Christmas where Christmas was first celebrated. I have no doubt that the experience will impact the life and ministry of each of the seminarians who participated, especially those preparing for priestly or diaconal ordination this coming May. One cannot walk where Jesus walked without leaving with a new appreciation of all that He did for us.  Finally, thank you to all who made this pilgrimage possible. Through your kindness, you have enriched these men and helped them grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

From the Pastor - Baptism of the Lord

By John Putnam • January 9, 2026
Today marks the close of the Christmas season, but before we return to Ordinary Time, we have one more great feast to celebrate — The Baptism of the Lord. Today’s feast is a perfect opportunity to consider the privileges and responsibilities we all share as Christian stewards by virtue of our own Baptism. At the moment of our Baptism, we became adopted sons and daughters of God, members of his holy, Catholic Church. Though we may not have realized it, the moment of our Baptism is also the moment we become Christian stewards, disciples of Jesus Christ, tasked with the work of following in His footsteps day by day and sharing the Gospel message with all those around us. In our second reading from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter gives us a glimpse of the person of Jesus we should imitate. “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” We must live our lives like Jesus, seeking to do good to everyone we encounter; not just those in our inner circle of family and friends, but everyone in our community since the Father loves us all and Jesus sought out everyone with His saving message. In the Gospel passage from Matthew, we see yet another aspect of Jesus in action, this time as he humbly stands before John to be baptized by him. What humility and what willingness to unite Himself to us our Lord demonstrates by this act. We can do no less as we live out our daily lives as his disciples. And when we do strive with all our might to live out our Baptismal call to Christian stewardship, we will experience the deep honor of knowing that we, too, are God’s “beloved” sons and daughters “with whom He is well-pleased.” © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2025 Pastoral Pondering As many of you know, on December 17 Bishop Martin issued a pastoral letter concerning the reception of Holy Communion. In that letter, he directed that non-fixed altar rails and kneelers be removed no later than January 16. I want to acknowledge, very simply and honestly, that this has been difficult for many in our parish. I feel that weight as well. I love St. Mark, and I am grateful for the reverence and devotion so many of you show toward the Holy Eucharist. I do not take lightly the concerns, questions, or disappointment this has raised. I am also aware that some of the faithful have made use of the appropriate channels within the Church to petition for clarification or reconsideration, and those processes may continue. At the same time, as your pastor, I am entrusted with leading this parish in fidelity to the Church and her discipline in those matters that do not contradict Catholic law. While there are sincere and thoughtful discussions about posture for receiving Holy Communion, the current liturgical discipline in the United States indicates that Communion is ordinarily received standing, whether on the tongue or in the hand. It is important to state clearly that the right of an individual communicant to kneel remains fully intact, and no one may ever be denied Holy Communion for choosing to do so. Therefore, unless a suspensive decision is issued by the Bishop or by the Dicastery for Divine Worship, we will comply with the directive and remove the kneelers from around the sanctuary. To assist with the reverent and timely distribution of Holy Communion, we will also increase the number of Communion stations. I know this change will be challenging for some. It is not something I approach lightly. My hope is that we can carry this moment together, offering whatever frustration or sorrow we may feel as a personal sacrifice, united to Christ present in the Eucharist. Crosses come in many forms, and how we bear them matters greatly. Let us remain united in prayer and charity, so that anger, bitterness, or division never take root at St. Mark. The weight of the Bishop’s office is a heavy one. I pray for Bishop Martin daily, and I ask that you do the same. Bishop’s office is a heavy one. I pray for him everyday, and I hope that you will as well.  On a happier note, as we come to the end of the Christmas season, I want to thank everyone who dropped off Christmas greetings and goodies. Your kindness is very much appreciated.