From the Pastor - 3rd Sunday in Lent

March 18, 2022

Today’s Gospel passage reminds us that life is precious and the gift of time on this earth is just that — a gift. None of us knows how much time will be granted to us, so we must use this gift intentionally to glorify God and serve our neighbor.


Jesus offers the parable of the fig tree to further illustrate this truth. The owner of the orchard came searching for fruit on a fig tree he had planted in his orchard. Finding no fruit on the tree after three years, he told the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener intercedes and asks for one more year to cultivate and fertilize the tree in hopes it would bear fruit in the future. The fig tree was not dying; it simply wasn’t doing much of anything at all. Can this be said of us and our lives as well?


The season of Lent is a time to carefully reflect on the way we spend our time. Do we make God our first priority, tending to our spiritual growth and sacramental life with diligence? Do we give the next priority to our loved ones, focusing intentionally on them each day without distractions from phones, screens, or thoughts of work? If not, now is the moment to repent of our waste of time or of misplaced priorities on our use of time. God is merciful but just. Let’s turn to Him and ask Him to make our lives fruitful while we still have time to do so. © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2022


Pastoral Pondering

Last week the pondering focused on the Eucharistic Kerygma. This week we are considering the second aspect of Eucharistic renewal and that is Participation in the Liturgy (Leitourgia). Back when the Pew Research Study was released, it became clear that there was a significant lack of belief in the Eucharist among many who identified themselves as Catholic. As we know, this caught the attention of the Bishops and resulted in the present effort to focus on Eucharistic renewal in the Church.


While it is true that a better effort at Eucharistic catechesis is important in this renewal, this does not only mean faith formation programs. In fact, the 2001 Synod of Bishops noted that “the best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated well. Throughout the centuries, the Church has taught that the way we worship and pray (lex orandi) expresses in the concrete what the Church believes and teaches (lex credendi). Hence, the synod fathers noted that greater attention needed to be given to the proper celebration of the Eucharist.


The fathers of the Second Vatican Council would have been in complete agreement with this sentiment and, in fact, noted the importance of the ars celebrandi, the manner of celebrating. In light of this, Roland Millare notes: “During this period of intentional Eucharistic renewal, every minister should examine how he prepares for and participates in the Mass: the priest, the deacon, the servers, emcees, the lectors, the sacristan, extraordinary ministers…ushers and the faithful. Every gesture, word and action should be carried out with reverence and focus.”


Closely related to the manner of celebration is also the importance of beauty in the liturgy and the role of music as an aid to liturgical celebration. Beauty, in the architecture, sacred artwork, vessels for celebration and liturgical furnishings should speak to the sacredness of the space and what occurs there. The Church in all of these elements should point to the heavenly realities. The same can be said for sacred music, which is considered the “supreme art within the ars celebrandi.”



Pope Benedict noted that the “texts, music, and execution” require careful attention because “they ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite, and the liturgical season.” Historically, and sadly, there was a period following the Council in which liturgical music was ignored to focus more on styles similar to Woodstock than to the Mass of the ages. This not only reduced liturgical music and the Mass to a certain emotionalism but also often failed to communicate correct Catholic teaching. This is not to say that all forms of contemporary liturgical music are sub par. Rather it is a reminder that liturgical music, like the celebration of the Mass itself, need to develop harmoniously with the Church teaching and historical development. One of the important teaching of the Council, that often gets ignored or only minimal attention in many places is the reminder that Gregorian chant and liturgical chant have pride of place in the liturgical assembly. Ongoing catechesis then is necessary to help us regain our understanding of the liturgy and all of the elements that contribute to its worthy celebration. When the faithful have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the relationship if the liturgy to Salvation History, a greater love can develop for the faithful execution if what we have been given and what these sacred mysteries imply in relationship to our daily lives.


From the Pastor

From the Pastor - All Saints Day

By John Putnam • October 30, 2026
On this Solemnity of All Saints, we have the profound joy of celebrating our brothers and sisters in Christ, the saints. This is an especially meaningful feast for us as Christian stewards. At Baptism, each of us receives the call to holiness and discipleship. In other words, we are all called to become saints. Holiness is not reserved for a select few. It is God's desire for every one of His children. The stewardship way of life helps us answer that call each day. In today's Gospel from Matthew, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. They reveal the qualities that mark the lives of His disciples and point us toward authentic holiness. As we continue striving to live as faithful stewards, the Beatitudes provide a faithful measure of our growth in Christ. The "blessed" that Jesus describes are not different categories of people who make it to heaven. Rather, they reveal the character of those who belong to Him - the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, and all who remain faithful in the midst of trials. None of us can live this way on our own. But as beloved children of God, we receive the grace we need through prayer, the sacraments, and a life centered on Christ. May the example of the saints inspire us to persevere in our own call to holiness, trusting that one day we will join them in the everlasting joy of heaven. © Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering October brought us the Church's renewed attention to mental health. Pope Leo XIV has asked us this month to pray that our communities become places where those who carry unseen burdens find welcome, dignity, and hope- not judgment or silence. Many of those burdens are carried by women and girls. Some have lived through abuse, assault, or trauma that few around them even know about. Recent headlines, including those from Cornell University, have reminded the whole country how widespread these wounds are and how alone many survivors feel. Regardless of the outcome and veracity of the Cornell case, these types of cases exist closer to home. Women in our own parish and community often suffer quietly, unsure where to turn or whether anyone will truly understand. There is help, and there is hope. Healed and Restored, the local Catholic ministry founded by our own parishioner Elza Spaedy, exists precisely for this purpose. Through counseling, workshops, spiritual mentoring, retreats, and a supportive community, it walks with women and girls who have experienced abuse, assault, domestic violence, trafficking, or other trauma. Rooted in faith, it helps them encounter the Divine Physician who alone can restore what has been broken and discover that their wounds do not define them. Many of the women who have walked this path have found real freedom and a renewed sense of their dignity as daughters of God. If you are carrying a wound like this, or if you know someone who is, I encourage you to reach out. Information is available at healedandrestored.org. And if you simply want to stand with those who are hurting, please keep them in your prayers. Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer is to notice, to listen without fear, and to point someone toward the healing Christ offers. May the Lord who binds up the brokenhearted make our parish a place of true restoration.

From the Pastor - 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By John Putnam • October 23, 2026
Today's readings are all about love - God's faithful love for His people and the love we are called to return to Him and to one another. The stewardship way of life is simply the daily practice of these two greatest commandments. In today's Gospel, Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. His answer is both familiar and endlessly challenging. He says, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind ... The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Why are these two commandments inseparable? Because both are rooted in love. When we love God above all else, we begin to see others as He sees them. And when we genuinely love our neighbor, we reflect the love we have first received from Him. This is the heart of Christian stewardship. It is simple enough for a child to understand, yet rich enough to spend a lifetime putting into practice.© Catholic Stewardship Conference, 2026 Pastoral Pondering - Remembering the Saints and the Souls As October ends, the Church gives us two feasts back-to-back that show who we are as one family in Christ, living and departed. On November 1, the Solemnity of All Saints, we honor all the holy men and women now in heaven. That includes the famous names on our calendar, and it also includes the countless quiet saints no one ever canonized: grandparents, neighbors, and friends who loved God and others faithfully. Their lives remind us that holiness isn't only for a few. It's the calling of every baptized person. All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation and since it falls on Sunday this year, it is easy to remember the times for Mass. On November 2, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day), we pray for everyone who has died, especially our own loved ones. We trust in God's mercy and ask Him to bring them fully into the joy of His presence. Praying for the dead is one of the oldest Christian practices and a real act of love. The Church teaches that "all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030). Purgatory isn't a second chance, and it isn't a smaller version of hell. It's God's mercy finishing what He began in us. Most of us leave this life still carrying some attachment to sin, and God lovingly purifies us so we can see Him face to face. Everyone in purgatory is already saved and on the way to heaven. The souls in purgatory can't help themselves, but we can help them. Since the earliest days, Christians have prayed for the dead (see 2 Maccabees 12:46). Our prayers, sacrifices, works of charity, and above all the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can speed their way to God. This is the Communion of Saints at work: the Church in heaven, the Church on earth, and the Church being purified, all united in Christ and helping one another. Ways to take part Complete an All Souls envelope with the name of your deceased loved ones so it can be placed on the altar throughout November. Have a Mass offered for someone who has died. Visit a cemetery and pray for the faithful departed. A plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory is available, under the usual conditions, to those who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead from November 1 to 8, or who visit a church and pray the Our Father and the Creed on All Souls' Day. Ask a favorite saint to pray for you and your family. These days remind us that death doesn't break the bonds of love. We pray for the souls, we ask the saints to pray for us, and we look forward to the day we'll all be together in God's kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.